AI halts hiring on contract basis

More than a month after a section of Air India cabin crew personnel complained about the “illegal” hiring of retired staff on contract, the airline management has temporarily stopped such appointments.

More than a month after a section of Air India cabin crew personnel complained about the “illegal” hiring of retired staff on contract, the airline management has temporarily stopped such appointments.

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On November 8, the airline management informed all department heads that they would not be permitted to hire staff on contract without approval from Rohit Nandan, the chairman and managing director. HT has a copy of the letter.

The move came into effect after the CMD’s office learnt that some section heads had hired retired crew through a backdoor channel without informing the human resources (HR) department.

The letter states that the finance department will not pay staff hired on contract unless they have an appointment letter issued by the HR department. In October, the All India Cabin Crew Association (AICCA), one of the two cabin crew unions, had told management that select departments had conducted secret job interviews at private hotels in Delhi without the HR department’s knowledge. “A handful senior officials conducted the recruitment drive without following the laid down procedure,” said a cabin crew personnel, who requested anonymity.

Pilots hired on contact until now were getting a fixed pay for 80 hours of flying irrespective of their actual flying hours. Now, the management has decided to pay them on an hourly basis.

The Air India spokesperson did not respond to calls and a query sent via email.