A-I’s IOU deal confuses staffers

“We hope matters don’t reach a stage where employees have to be paid in the form of IOUs,” said V A George, general secretary, Air-India Employees Guild, the biggest union in the airline. According to George, who recently took over as the secretary of the guild, his union will demand an explanation from the management for the losses incurred by the A-I. “All along a rosy picture was presented that the airline is coming out of the red and now suddenly they are talking of this,” George said.

The Guild will now make a presentation before the Kelkar committee with suggestions for turning around the A-I and install a restructuring programme. “We want to know why some of our most lucrative routes were gifted to Indian Airlines by the government. Similarly Oman and Qatar Airways have been awarded some profitable foreign routes. Now even our cargo handling business is being handed over to the Airports Authority,” said George about his presentation before the Kelkar committee.

On the other hand the A-I’s aircraft maintenance engineers are demanding that they be taken into confidence about the airline’s financial condition. “We don’t even know if there is any restructuring plans, so how can they ask us to take an IOU saying the plans have failed,” demanded M Balakrishnan, general secretary, A-I Aircraft Maintenance Engineers’ Association. He feared that employee morale would be affected if the management does not come clear about its future plans. “Already people are worried about arrears worth Rs 200 crore which A-I owes its employees,” Balakrishnan said. Even A-I’s middle-level managers express anger at the prospects of receiving promissory notes in lieu of salaries. President of the Air-India Officers’ Association S M Rao said, “We are still studying the matter.”

However, it is A-I’s pilots who are most enthusiastic about the restructuring programme. “We are definitely keen on assisting the airline in all respects,” informed G David, general secretary, Indian Pilots Guild.

Meanwhile in Delhi, where the 1200-member Airports Authority of India Officers’ Association on a work-by-rule agitation, warned that they would go ahead with their proposed agitation from Sunday unless the management of Airports Authority of India (AAI) agreed to their demands.

“We would not accept a penny less than what the ATCOs are getting as we are their counterparts. In fact we are demanding more money as we are qualified engineers,” said technical officer A Dutta.

The technical officers held an inconclusive meet with AAI chairman on Friday.