New Delhi: The Air India Express Employees Union, or AIXEU, has written to the Chairman of Air India to express concerns like "growing unrest and dissatisfaction among employees". In a two-page letter addressed to Natarajan Chandrasekaran, the Chairman of the Tata Sons-owned Air India Limited (of which Air India Express is a subsidiary) to red-flag growing levels of discontent within employees' ranks following the takeover of the airline by the private firm.
There is a "stark departure from commitments on job security, salary and maintenance, and respect for seniority and maintenance", AIXEU said in its letter, referring to the firing of "several employees with impeccable records" that it said was "contrary to assurances" made by Union Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman that there will be "no termination for two years post acquisition" of the formerly government-run Air India.
Referring to the treatment of whistleblowers, the AIXEU said "employees find themselves silenced when attempting to address grievances, with management actively suppressing any dissenting voices on company platforms".
"Furthermore, there is a glaring lack of equality in treatment of employees. Salaries, experience, and merits are being disregarded, with internal job postings now being filed by candidates external to Air India Express, thereby bypassing qualified internal candidates."
Declaring such "mismanagement" had "... impacted employee morale (and) also reflects poorly on our customers and company's performance", the union appealed to Mr Chandrasekaran to "personally intervene to redress our grievances... "
READ | 86 Air India Express Flights Cancelled As Crew Goes On "Mass Sick Leave"
The letter follows a mass sick leave by Air India cabin crew earlier today which left at least 86 flights cancelled. international and domestic flights were cancelled after about 300 senior cabin crew members reported sick at the last minute and switched off their mobile phones.
The Air India Express management is currently trying to reach out to the crew, who are protesting against the new employment term at the Tata Group-owned airline, sources said.
"A section of our cabin crew has reported sick at the last minute, starting last night, resulting in flight delays and cancellations. While we are engaging with the crew to understand the reasons behind these occurrences, our teams are actively addressing this issue to minimise any inconvenience caused to our guests as a result," an Air India Express spokesperson said.
"We sincerely apologise to our guests for this unexpected disruption and emphasise that this situation does not reflect the standard of service we strive to provide," the spokesperson added.
Guests impacted by cancellations will be offered a full refund or complimentary rescheduling to another date, the airline said.