Air India forms committee to recommend redundant staff

Air India has set up a panel to identify employees to be sent on leave without pay for a time period ranging from six months to two years which can be extended up to five years. It has authorised chairman Rajiv Bansal to send employees on the leave without pay.

New Delhi: National Carrier Air India has formed an empowered committee for the identification of redundant or surplus employees in the company who can be sent on compulsory leave without pay (LWP) for a period from six months up to five years.

"Empowered committee is hereby constituted for identification of redundant surplus manpower resources," stated a circular accessed by ETV Bharat.

According to the circular, the committee comprises of 4 members including General Manager (Personnel) Convener, General Manager (Finance) Member, Departmental Head, Member One Representative of Regional Director (RD) to be co-opted, in case required on case merit.

These four senior-level officers will decide and submit a report regarding the identification of redundant or surplus manpower resources to the AI regional director (RD) office and later Airline headquarter will take the final decision.

"General Manager (Personnel) will share the staff list with all departments and convene the discussions/deliberations including the process of identification of surplus/redundant resources. The report is to be submitted to the RD office by 11 August 2020 for review and onward recommendations to headquarters," the letter said.

The list of employees is to be submitted to the Regional Director office by August 11, for review and onward recommendations to the airline headquarters in New Delhi. As per the sources, Air India has around 10,000 employees.

On Monday, Air India had decided to cut its employees' allowances by 20 per cent to 50 per cent. The revised allowances, as per the company, will be effective from April 1 and shall remain in force till further review by the airline board.

Air India has introduced the leave without pay (LWP) scheme for its permanent employees for a period of six months to two years (extendable upto five years), in a bid to cut costs during the current pandemic.

Notably, Indian Commercial Pilots' Association and five other unions in a statement had said that any unilateral change by Air India from agreed upon wage settlement would be illegal.

The board of the airlines has approved a scheme for sending employees on leave without pay for a time period ranging from six months to two years which can be extended up to five years. It has authorised chairman Rajiv Bansal to send employees on the leave without pay.