Air India Express Crew Targeted; Union Decries Unfair Practices
Union sources revealed that the charge-sheets were handed out to about 200 cabin crew members on June 5, with a deadline of 72 hours for response submission.
The Air India Express Employees Union criticised the airline's management for allegedly issuing charge-sheets to approximately 200 cabin crew members who reported sick during last month's strike, labelling it as 'unfortunate' and 'unfair labour practice'.
In a letter addressed to Air India Express chief Alok Singh on Sunday, the Union cautioned the Tata Group-run airline's management about the potential negative impact on the company and its passengers due to such actions.
Union sources revealed that the charge-sheets were handed out to about 200 cabin crew members on June 5, with a deadline of 72 hours for response submission.
On May 7, approximately 200 cabin crew members of Air India Express went on strike, protesting against alleged mismanagement within the airline, which led to the cancellation of numerous flights.
As a result, the airline management terminated the contracts of 25 cabin crew members and warned others to return to work or face similar consequences.
The strike concluded three days later following a conciliation meeting between cabin crew representatives and airline management at the Office of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) in Delhi on May 9.
The Union's letter expressed discontent regarding the issuance of charge-sheets by the Chief of HR to many cabin crew members regarding their sick reports, deeming it unfortunate and constituting unfair labour practice to reopen resolved matters through conciliation.
Moreover, the Union highlighted that the termination orders of the 25 cabin crew members were rescinded during conciliation based on a settlement agreement.
In the letter, AIXEU president K K Vijayakumar urged the management to refrain from revisiting settled issues, warning of potential negative implications for the company and its passengers, and advocated for seeking opportunities for cooperation to enhance industrial relations.
The Union emphasised that the issue was discussed and resolved before the Central Labour Commissioner on May 9, and pursuing charge-sheets and punitive measures against employees would only escalate tensions and further deteriorate industrial relations.
Furthermore, the Union pointed out that during the hearing on May 28 in front of the CLC, it was explicitly stated that no punitive actions would be taken against employees in this regard.
Additionally, the Union disputed the portrayal of operational lapses as the fault of cabin crew employees, attributing flight cancellations to data loss from newly introduced software due to lack of backup maintenance and training provided by the concerned department.
With PTI inputs.
