Hope outgoing Air India mangement ensures staff arrear payment before Tata handover: IPG

Indian Pilots Guild (IPG), one of the pilot unions of Air India, has expressed hope that the outgoing management will ensure that the process of settling employees arrears is “righteously” carried out prior to the airline going to the new owner Tata Sons. In a letter to Air India CMD late Sunday evening, the guild said that it is “optimistic” about making a fresh start with the airline’s new owners, at the same time, urged the current dispensation not to “exploit” the employees as it could potentially lead to mass protest and industrial unrest just as the company changes hands.

According to the IPG, the 2006 Wage Agreement allocated a monthly Layover Subsistence Allowance (LSA) for captains and for co-pilots. Over the years, 25 per cent of these amounts were held back and are still due. Besides, overtime payments arising out of this wage pact are long overdue as well, it said, adding that in 2012, a wrongful and unilateral 25 per cent pay cut had been implemented on all employees.