500 ground staff march to Jet office, demand salary

One of the senior ground staffers said the management’s last e-mail in the first week of April mentioned salaries would not be credited.

On Friday, when debt-ridden Jet Airways operated just nine domestic flights and cancelled all international flights till Monday, around 500 ground staff working at Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj International Airport (CSMIA) marched from the terminal to the airline’s office in Andheri seeking clarity on the company’s future. The employees claimed they were yet to receive salaries for March.

500 ground staff march to Jet office, demand salary

The protest march was led by Kiran Pawaskar, the chief of All India Jet Airway’s Officers and Staff Association. Pawaskar, who could not meet airline CEO Vinay Dube, as he was not in the office, said the meeting with other senior executives was not fruitful.

“The management assured that all the employees will get their money after the airline gets funds from SBI Caps. Also, I submitted a letter at the Sahar police station, seeking action against Naresh Goyal [former Jet Airways chairperson] and SBI Caps,” he said.

One of the senior ground staffers said the management’s last e-mail in the first week of April mentioned salaries would not be credited. After the airline shut operations at various airports across India, several ground staffers were transferred to the operational stations, including Mumbai. One of the staffers, who was shifted from Thiruvananthapuram to Mumbai, said, “The landlord has asked me to vacate the house if I can’t pay the rent on time. I don’t have any money because my salary for March is yet to come.” The woman is living in the city with her year-old child.

The ground staff alleged they were learning about the developments through media as the management did not bother to keep the employees in the loop.