Air India pilots seek Ratan Tata's help amid salary dispute
What's the story
More than 1,500 Air India pilots have written to Tata Sons Chairman Emeritus Ratan Tata, seeking his intervention in resolving the ongoing deadlock with the company's management over revised terms of service agreement and salary allowances, reported News18.
Notably, the airline announced a new pay structure for pilots and cabin crew last week, which didn't go well with the employees.
Letter
We are not being treated with respect and dignity: Pilots
In their letter, the pilots reportedly said, "We are facing a difficult situation with the Human Resources (HR) department. We feel we are not being treated with the respect and dignity that we deserve as employees of Air India."
"As a result, our morale is low, and we are concerned that this will have a negative impact on our abilities," they added.
More details
Pilots earlier warned of 'industrial unrest'
The pilots further stated, "We would not have disturbed you had this issue not been this important. We believe that your benevolent leadership can help us to find a solution that is fair and respectful to all parties involved."
On April 19, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) and Indian Pilots Guild also warned of "industrial unrest" if coerced to sign the "draconian terms."
Issue
Air India's major policy changes<a target="_blank" href=" https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/business/air-india " rel="noopener" data-mce-href="https://www.newsbytesapp.com/news/business/air-india" style="font-family: Caladea, serif; font-size: 1.875rem; letter-spacing: 0.05em;" data-mce-style="font-family: Caladea, serif; font-size: 1.875rem; letter-spacing: 0.05em;"></a>
Air India has introduced a new wage structure wherein flying staff will be entitled to a fixed allowance for 40 hours, compared to the previous 70 hours.
The airline also changed its rostering policies, which could allegedly result in pilots being on call 24×7.
The policies also propose the reduction of the annual limit of privilege leave accumulation from 300 days to 60 days.