New Delhi: In a sign of further crisis hitting the aviation industry, the employees' union at AI Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) threatened to go on a strike on April 23 if their demands regarding promotion, salary and uniform are not met.
AIESL, India’s largest aircraft Maintenance, Repair, and Operations (MRO) company in a letter dated on April 8, vented its ire over "low salary, no promotions which has ultimately led to widespread frustration and demoralisation among with workforce."
The union has sent a letter to AIESL CEO and Chief Human Resource Officer threatening disruption to operations if management fails to address their concerns.
"The recent forced implementation of a new service level agreement (SLA) has exposed clear discrimination between permanent and FTE (full-time equivalent) staff, with a glaring disparity in notice period and benefits,” the union said.
"This lack of career advancement opportunities has created a sense of stagnation and discontent among employees," the letter read. The abrupt change in the notice period from one month to three months for technicians and six months for certifying staff has created “confusion, rage, and anger” among employees, it said.
"We urge you to engage in constructive dialogue and take immediate steps to address our grievances in good faith to avert the impending disruption to operations," the letter said.
AIESL has more than 5,000 staff. The company provides base and line maintenance as well as overhaul of landing gear, avionics accessories and components, among others. It is under the the AI Assets Holding Ltd after the disinvestment of Air India in 2022.
State-owned AIESL is a leading player in the Maintenance, Repair and Overhaul (MRO) segment. It is worthy to note here that this development comes at back of similar protests by Vistara pilots over remuneration issues.
While Vistara is all set to complete merge with Air India, the issues related to fee structure for the pilots at Vistara (who would now be given the new pay structure after its alliance with AI) has become a matter of contention.
