‘Donate it to PM CARES or for new Parliament building’: Air India pilots reject 5% relaxation in salary cuts

KEY STORY

• New Delhi: Air India pilots have rejected a paltry 5% relaxation in “illegal salary cuts” and asked the national carrier’s CMD to donate it towards the new Parliament building or PM CARES instead.

• In a letter written to Air India Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Rajiv Bansal, the pilots’ union – Indian Pilot’s Guild and Indian Commercial Pilots’ Associaton – also threatened to go on an “industrial strike” protesting over 50% cut in their salaries.

• “We do not accept this paltry 5 per cent roll back in illegal pay cut and you may advice the concerned to donate this 5 per cent towards funds for building the Parliament or PM CARE,” the letter from the pilots’ association to Air India CMD read.

  “We have given the management every benefit of doubt as well as ample time to redress the issue of a disproportionate pay cut for pilots of Air India and its subsidiaries so there is no point left in mincing words. If we do not see a timely substantial reduction in this disproportionate pay cut, we will be forced to seek justice through harsher means including Industrial Action,” it added. 

• The pilots alleged that their salaries slashed by as much as 58% in and the airline has agreed to restore just 5% of the cut which is not acceptable to the pilots.

• Air India has maintained that the pay haircut given to pilots was high owing to non-operation of flights as a major part of their salaries are allowances linked to flying.

• It is to be noted that international flights to and fro from India were banned late March, 2020, in the light of Covid-19 lockdown in the country and different parts of the world.

• In subsequent months, curtailed flight operations to several countries have begun under India’s bilateral air bubbles agreements signed with different countries.

• The pilots said even Members of Parliament (MPs) were given a lesser pay cut.

• “While the parliamentarians themselves have taken a cut of only 30 per cent on gross emoluments and vehemently refused to take a higher cut, we think it is completely egregious for us pilots to continue tolerating this arbitrary massive cut of 55 per cent of our gross emoluments,” it added.