Air India's leave without pay must be withdrawn: Elamaram Kareem

Elamaram Kareem MP has written to Minister of State for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri demanding the withdrawal of the decision to send Air India employees on leave without pay for up to five years.

The Air India board of directors decided to give employees leave without pay for six months to two years, or up to a maximum of five years. The circular authorising the CMD to do this also makes clear that employees can be sent on compulsory leave.

Heads of various departments and directors at the headquarters and regional headquarters can propose which employees should be sent on compulsory leave. Employees are to be recommended for compulsory leave on the basis of suitability, efficiency, skill, performance, health, past absence from work due to illness or other reasons, and competence. In effect, the management can send employees on compulsory leave without pay without their consent. Employees sent on such leave will get no benefits at all, and the period will not count towards promotion or seniority. The decision to change workers' service conditions unilaterally is against the existing labour rules and the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act.

There has been strong criticism from various sections of society of such an illegal and anti-worker decision coming from the government-owned Air India. In his letter, Elamaram Kareem MP asked the minister to intervene urgently and have the Air India authorities' decision withdrawn.