New Delhi:In a breakthrough, Air India Express (AIX) management on Thursday late evening agreed to look into the issues raised by the Air India Express Employees Union and also agreed to withdraw the termination of 25 crew members. The key decision was taken after five hours of ‘conciliation proceedings’ at the Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC) office in the national capital. According to sources, there were as many as 25 members from the union and five members from the AIX management.
"It was reported by the media that the cabin crew of Air India Express Limited have reported sick en-masse, which disrupted flight operations widely...after detailed discussions deliberations, persuasion and an appeal of the conciliation officer and Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) the representatives of the union (members of the cabin crew) agreed that all the cabin crew members, who have reported sick, will report for duty with fitness certificates immediately," the document, which was signed by both the parties stated.
"On appeal of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central), the management agreed to reinstate 25 cabin crew members, who were terminated on May 7 and 8, for reporting sick as a concerted action immediately. The management will review the cases of these cabin crew as per service regulations," it added.
According to the document accessed by ETV Bharat, the next meeting for the conciliation proceedings has been fixed for May 28 at 3 pm by the Chief Labour Commissioner. Since Tuesday, nearly 300 cabin crew members have gone on mass sick leave alleging that despite assurances of job security, salary preservation and recognition of seniority and expertise, there has been a visible departure from these commitments during the transition from AirAsia to Air India Express.
On Thursday, Delhi Regional Labour Commissioner Ashok Perumalla issued a notice to the Air India Express Employees Union and the airline management for an appearance for conciliation proceedings at 2 pm at his chambers in Delhi’s Dwarka area. Over 80 flights were cancelled on Thursday following the mass sick leave taken by the cabin crew of Air India Express, said an official.
"We are pleased with the progress we made at the conciliation meeting and welcome our cabin crew colleagues back at work. This will help us swiftly restore our flight schedule and fulfil our commitments to our guests. We sincerely apologise to those inconvenienced by these unintended disruptions. It is not in keeping with our usual service standards and we will review it internally to ensure accountability. As we gradually bring our operations back to normalcy, we urge our guests, who booked tickets to fly with us to check their flight status before heading to the airport. If their flight is cancelled, or delayed beyond three hours, they may opt for a full refund or reschedule to a later date without any fees can contact on WhatsApp (+91 6360012345) or airindiaexpress.com,” says Air India Express Spokesperson
Read more:Air India Express Crisis: Delhi Labour Commissioner To Meet Protesting Crew Members
