AI hostesses’ plea rejected

July 8: The Bombay High Court today summarily rejected the petition by Air India air hostesses who challenged a wage settlement between the...

July 8: The Bombay High Court today summarily rejected the petition by Air India air hostesses who challenged a wage settlement between the airline management and a recognised union.

The division bench of Justice Ashok Agarwal and S D Gundewar ruled that the pgtition by Air India Hostesses Association (AIHA) was “devoid of merit”. If the petitioners have any complaints against the settlement AI had reached with Air India Cabin Crew Association (AICCA) in 1997, they should be voiced before the National Industrial Tribunal, the court said.

The settlement will be anyway placed before the Tribunal for passing a wage award when the petitioner will have a chance to put forward their objections. The petitioner can also move the the Conciliation Officer. In the event of failure of a conciliation, the matter can be referred back to the tribunal. The court ruled that the petitioner has `alternative efficacious’ remedies and the court is not entitled to interfere in this matter.

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As per the petition, the 1997 settlement is not binding on AIHA since the association is not a signatory. It also stated that the settlement was discriminatory against air hostesses, in terms of added hours of work with little monetary compensation.

However, Air India maintained that even if the settlement was not signed by AIHA (as per the requirements of the Industrial Disputes Act), yet it was binding on it. Because the agreement was signed by the AICCA, the main recognised union of Air India. The AICCA claimed that AIHA had accepted certain interim monetary benefits and therefore now cannot disown the main settlement. The AICCA also claimed that AIHA was not a registered union.

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