AI staff threaten strike over non-payment of salary

An umbrella body formed by Air India pilots, engineers, cabin crew and ground staff have threatened to stop work if the airline management failed to streamline its inconsistent salary.

An umbrella body formed by Air India pilots, engineers, cabin crew and ground staff have threatened to stop work if the airline management failed to streamline its inconsistent salary.

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The joint forum, comprising eight employee unions, claimed on Thursday that the loss-making airline had not paid them salaries since May.

“We have given the management a week to respond, otherwise we will start a ‘no pay, no work’ agitation,” said a member of the forum.

Normally, unions have to serve a 14-day strike notice before starting an agitation, which has not been done in this case. But the union members claimed that if a company fails to pay on time, there is no need to serve a strike notice.

“According to section 29 and 32 of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, an employee is not bound by any labour rules if the company fails to pay them salaries for three months,” said another member of the forum.

The unions also blamed the management of causing industrial unrest by forcibly implementing recommendations of the Dharmadhikari Committee report. The recommendations are being considered as a yardstick to merge Air India and Indian Airlines employees.