Concerning growing employee dissatisfaction, the Air India Express Workers Union (AIXEU) wrote a letter to Air India chairman Natarajan Chandrasekaran, according to NDTV. The most recent action follows many daytime flight cancellations and Air India Express’s declaration that it does not recognize labor unions.
The Letter To Air India Express’ Chairman
The two-page letter, which was sent to the chairman of Air India Limited, a company owned by Tata Sons, which includes Air India Express, describes a rise in employee discontent following the airline’s takeover by a private company.
The letter from AIXEU referred to the firing of “several employees with impeccable records” and stated that this was “contrary to assurances” made by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that there would be “no termination for two years post-acquisition” of the formerly government-run Air India. AIXEU described this as a “stark departure from commitments on job security, salary and maintenance, and respect for seniority and maintenance.” The letter also highlighted how management silences dissenting opinions, hindering workers’ ability to file complaints.
According to the letter, which NDTV obtained, “employees find themselves silenced when attempting to address grievances, with management actively suppressing any dissenting voices on company platforms.”
The Cabin Crew Protests
The union also expressed concerns about the unfair treatment of workers, citing cases where experience and qualifications were disregarded in favor of outside applicants for internal job openings.
Moreover, there is an obvious disparity in how employees are treated. “Internal job postings are now being filed by candidates external to Air India Express, thereby bypassing qualified internal candidates. Salaries, experience, and merits are being disregarded,” the purported letter stated.
The announcement of widespread sick leave by Air India cabin crew earlier in the day, which led to the cancellation of at least 86 flights, is what prompted the AIXEU letter. Nearly 300 senior cabin crew members reportedly protested against new job terms at the airline owned by the Tata Group by calling in sick at the last minute and refusing to be reached.
The Tata Group-owned Air India, which is in the process of combining to form a single low-cost airline, owns both Air India Express and AIX Connect (previously AirAsia India).
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