As maintenance technicians at IndiGo and Go First continue to remain on sick leave protesting low salaries, aviation regulator DGCA on Wednesday said it hopes the situation will improve soon. IndiGo said it is in the process of addressing some of the issues related to employee remuneration and asserted that its flight operations continue to be normal.
Go First said a “few people” who had absented themselves from duties in the last two to three days were “misguided” and after counselling, they have assured the carrier that they will rejoin office either on Wednesday or Thursday. In a statement on ‘sick-leave protest’, the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) said, “We are closely monitoring the situation. As of now, operations are normal. Hopefully, it will be resolved shortly.” IndiGo has started taking disciplinary action against the aircraft maintenance technicians (AMTs) who went on mass sick leave in the last six days protesting low pay, sources said.
A significant section of Go First AMTs also went on sick leave in the last four days to protest their low salaries. In a statement on Wednesday, IndiGo said, As a responsible employer, IndiGo is in constant dialogue with its employees to take care of any issues or grievances.” The aviation industry has undergone a difficult phase over the past 24-plus months, it noted.
“As business recovers, we are in the process of addressing some of the issues related to employee remuneration. This is an ongoing activity and we will continue to take employee feedback in the process,” it mentioned. Meanwhile, IndiGo’s operations continue to be normal, while it adds several new destinations to its network and looks forward to welcoming customers from across India and the world, the airline said.
In a statement, Go First airline said only a “few technicians” were absent for two to three days and it is in constant discussions with them to address their concerns. The airline said that despite the impact of COVID-19 and financial challenges, it has recognised the contributions of the employees and several “outstanding contributors” have been given promotions.
“During discussions, we understood that our employees were misguided and after counselling, they are happy to note/take cognizance of the efforts of the company amidst the turbulent volatile scenario and a few people who had absented themselves from duties have assured us to resume from today or tomorrow,” Go First stated. The airline said it has adequate technicians to manage the present operations.
It stated there has been “no general protest/agitation by the technicians as construed”. Indian carriers, which were badly hit during the COVID-19 pandemic, had then cut the salaries of their employees to save cash.
On July 2, around 55 per cent of IndiGo’s domestic flights were delayed as a significant number of its cabin crew members went on leave, with sources saying they reportedly went for an Air India recruitment drive.
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