25 terminated Air India Express employees reinstated as Chief Labour Commissioner steps in
A
total of 25 cabin crew members of Air India Express who were terminated after they reported sick on Tuesday and Wednesday have been reinstated following a meeting at the office of the Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC) and the airline management here on Thursday.
Since Tuesday, over 200 cabin crew members have gone on mass sick leave alleging that despite assurances of job security, salary preservation, and recognition of seniority and expertise, there has been a visible departure from these commitments during the transition from AirAsia to Air India Express.
On Thursday, Delhi Regional Labour Commissioner Ashok Perumalla had issued a notice to the Air India Express Employees Union and the airline management for their appearance for conciliation proceedings at 2 p.m. at his chamber in Delhi's Dwarka area.
"Today, both parties held conciliation proceedings. After detailed discussions, deliberation, persuasion and on appeal from Conciliation Officer and Chief Labour Commissioner (central), the representative of the union (members of cabin crew) agreed that all the cabin crew members who have reported sick will report for duty with a fitness certificate immediately," read a note by the CLC.
"On appeal of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) the management agreed to reinstate 25 cabin crew who have been terminated on May 7 and May 8 for reporting sick as a concerted action immediately. The management will review the cases of these cabin crew as per service regulations," it further read.
"The representatives of the management assured that all the issues of cabin crew raised before the management and during conciliation proceedings will be looked into and resolved. The conciliation proceeding is adjourned and fixed for May 28 at 3 p.m.," the note added.
Over 80 flights were cancelled on Thursday following the mass sick leave taken by the cabin crew of Air India Express, said an official.
"We will be operating 283 flights today. We have mobilised all resources and Air India will support us by operating on 20 of our routes. However, 85 of our flights stand cancelled and we urge our guests booked to fly with us to check if their flight is affected by the disruption before heading to the airport," said the Air India Express spokesperson.
"We are pleased with the progress we made at the conciliation meeting and welcome our cabin crew colleagues back at work. This will help us swiftly restore our flight schedule and fulfil our commitments to our guests.
"We sincerely apologise to those inconvenienced by these unintended disruptions. It is not in keeping with our usual service standards, and we will review it internally to ensure accountability.
"As we gradually bring our operations back to normalcy, we urge our guests booked to fly with us to check their flight status before heading to the airport. If their flight is cancelled, or delayed beyond 3 hours, they may opt for a full refund or reschedule to a later date without any fees," the spokesperson added.
✔️ 25 terminated Air India Express employees reinstated as Chief Labour Commissioner steps in
💕 Found this article helpful? Spread the word and support us!