Amid pandemic, the cash-strapped Airline has proposed a massive- nearly 70 per cent cut in pilots’ gross salary and to send stewards and air hostesses on compulsory leave without pay. Air India has a debt of around Rs 70,000 crore, on which the grounding of planes due to travel restrictions has hammered another nail. The government has been trying to sell off the airline but no deal has been closed so far.
While debates over pay cut rage on, the two unions — Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association and Indian Pilots’ Guild have vowed to continue raising the issue. They have alleged that the airline’s management hasn’t consulted them before taking steps. Management has proposed a 70 per cent pay cut for pilots on a retrospective basis while suggesting a meagre 3.5-4 per cent cut in salary of the top management. On July 21, the airline’s pilots got their June salary. As relieving as it was, the euphoria quickly turned into shock and anger.
Air India had cut the pay of its cockpit and cabin crew with retrospective effect from April 1, 2020, till further orders. While the airline management puts the reduction at 40% on salary and 85% on flying allowance, pilots say their flying allowance which comprises a majority of their total pay — has been slashed by almost 85% while the airline management, on the other hand, has taken on 50% cut on their allowance. The order on July 14, said Chairman and Managing Director Rajiv Bansal has been authorised by the airline’s board of directors to send employees on leave without pay for a time period ranging from six months to two years which could be extended up to five years.
Explaining the matter, a senior pilot said Air India also announced to pay allowances for a maximum of 20 hours of flight time instead of 70. with the current situation, flights are restricted, it is impossible to fly for 70 hours. Deductions have been strategically applied on flying allowances; this move targets only pilots and brings down gross salary by 65% on average. Earlier, his monthly flying allowance came to nearly Rs 1,40,000. Now, it is down to Rs 24,000. After-tax the in-hand is about Rs 16,500 from nearly Rs 98,000 earlier. Allowance make up for 70% of a pilot’s salary. Pilots now allege that while the flying allowance rate has indeed come down by 40%, from Rs 2,000 to Rs 1,200 per hour and deduction of 50 flying hours is a matter of worry for them.
In another step to rationalise staff costs, the airline issued an internal order on July 14 asking its departmental heads and regional directors to identify employees, based on various factors like efficiency, health and redundancy, who will be sent on compulsory leave without pay (LWP) for up to five years. Various employee unions of Air India were protesting for the last few weeks following the decision on leave without pay by the airline management.
“If the pilot gets infected with the virus, he is de-rostered without pay. He has to prove his complete medical fitness before boarding a flight. If the pilot sustains long-term lung damage or neurological or cardiovascular damage as a side effect of COVID-19, he will lose his livelihood,” the pilot added.
In a relief to employees, Air India on Friday made it clear that no employee will be laid off and added that there would be no reduction in basic pay, dearness and house rent allowances of any category of employees. The flying crew will be paid on the basis of the actual number of hours flown. The decision was taken in a review meeting at the Civil aviation ministry last week.
In a strongly worded letter to their Chairman and Managing Director Rajiv Bansal, Air India pilots have asked, “As of date, 60 pilots have tested positive for Covid-19. Is it fair to penalise these pilots by saying that they will be paid on actual flying hours? They are unable to fly as they contracted the coronavirus while on duty. Is this how the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) wants to honour frontline workers?” the letter asked. India have completed 2,000 Vande Bharat evacuations, bringing home 6.7 lakh Indians and flying out countless others. The Vande Bharat mission came with a heavy price to pay for those on the frontline.
“The government decision to reduce the salary of pilots by up to 70% is “discriminatory, disproportionate and arbitrary and could have a disastrous psychological impact which could trigger ‘desperate and extreme acts,’ as has been repeatedly proven many times in the past,” warned the senior pilots.
The pilots said if this is how the Air India and the Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) thinks that pilots, one of the frontline warriors in the fight against Covid-19, should be treated, then they would like to return all appreciation letters given to pilots by the Civil Aviation Minister Hardeep Puri and Prime Minister Narendra Modi for their service during the pandemic.
As a way to the solution, “ All we expect is reasonableness and respect, instead of this draconian 70% pay cut.” an anonymous pilot told TheWire in an interview.
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