 "Air India Express")
Air India Express aircraft (Photo: Reuters/Almaas Masood)
Air India Express on Thursday evening withdrew termination letters issued to 25 cabin crew members who were part of a group that called in sick last minute, causing about 176 flight cancellations since Tuesday. In return, the Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU) decided to resume work immediately.
The decision was taken following the intervention of Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) Ashok Perumalla, who held a marathon five-hour meeting with the senior executives of the airline and the members of AIXEU.
In a statement on Thursday evening, Perumalla’s office stated: “After detailed discussions, deliberation, persuasion, and upon the appeal of the conciliation officer and chief labour commissioner (central), the representatives of the union (members of cabin crew) agreed that all cabin crew members who reported sick will report for duty with a fitness certificate immediately.”
Due to Perumalla’s “appeal”, the airline’s management agreed to immediately reinstate 25 cabin crew members who were terminated on May 7 and May 8 for reporting sick as a “concerted action”. The airline’s management will review the cases of these cabin crew “in line with service regulations”, the statement mentioned.
The airline’s management assured Perumalla that all the issues raised by the cabin crew members before the management and during conciliation proceedings “will be looked into and resolved”, it noted.
The next conciliation meeting between Air India Express management and AIXEU will take place on May 28.
While Air India Express cancelled 91 flights on Tuesday and Wednesday, it cancelled 85 flights on Thursday. It is receiving assistance from its parent company, Air India, which is operating flights on 20 of its routes. Over 100 cabin crew members took sick leave last minute since Tuesday, disrupting the airline’s flight operations.
In a termination letter issued to one of the cabin crew members on Wednesday, Air India Express said: “You informed the scheduling team at the last moment that you were unwell… It is noted that at or around the same time, an overwhelming number of other cabin crew members have also reported sick… This clearly points to premeditated and concerted absence from work without any justifiable reason.”
“Your act of reporting sick for work amounts to concerted action with a common understanding to not operate the flight and to disrupt the services of the company. This not only violates applicable laws but also breaches the airline’s service rules… In view of the above, the company has decided to terminate your employment with immediate effect,” it added.
Regarding this termination, the airline’s spokesperson on Thursday afternoon stated that while the carrier continues to engage with its cabin crew members to address their concerns, it is taking “appropriate steps against certain individuals” as their actions have caused grave inconvenience to thousands of its passengers.
The airline plans to operate a reduced schedule for the next few days, considering the non-availability of certain cabin crew members.
“We will be operating 283 flights today (Thursday). We have mobilised all resources, and Air India will support us by operating on 20 of our routes,” the spokesperson noted.
The airline’s Chief Executive Officer Aloke Singh was scheduled to hold a town hall with its cabin crew members on Thursday evening to discuss various issues.
First Published: May 09 2024 | 5:21 PM IST
