Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU) has raised concerns about the growing unrest and dissatisfaction among employees in a letter addressed to Natarajan Chandrasekaran, Chairman of Air India. The two-page letter highlights the increasing discontent among employees following the takeover of Air India by the Tata Sons-owned Air India Limited, of which Air India Express is a subsidiary.
AIXEU expressed disappointment with what they perceive as a departure from commitments on job security, salary, maintenance, and respect for seniority. The union pointed out that several employees with impeccable records have been terminated, contrary to the assurances made by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that there would be no terminations for two years after the acquisition.
The letter also highlighted the treatment of whistleblowers, stating that employees feel silenced when trying to address grievances, with management actively suppressing dissenting voices on company platforms.
AIXEU further noted a lack of equality in the treatment of employees, with salaries, experience, and merits being disregarded. Internal job postings are allegedly filled by external candidates, bypassing qualified internal candidates.
The union described this mismanagement as detrimental to employee morale and damaging to the company’s image and performance. They appealed to Mr. Chandrasekaran to personally intervene and address their grievances.
In a related development, Air India Express experienced disruptions due to a mass sick leave by cabin crew members. Approximately 300 senior cabin crew members reported sick at the last minute and switched off their mobile phones, leading to the cancellation of at least 86 domestic and international flights.
Air India Express management is attempting to communicate with the protesting crew members, who are demonstrating against the new employment terms at the Tata Group-owned airline.
An Air India Express spokesperson expressed regret for the inconvenience caused to passengers due to flight delays and cancellations. The airline assured affected passengers of a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date. They emphasized that this situation does not reflect the standard of service they strive to provide.
