Termination letters sent to create fear, say protesting Air India Express cabin crew members

New Delhi, May 9 (IANS) The issuance of termination letters to several staff members is merely a tactic to instil fear and quell ongoing protests, said a cabin crew member of Air India Express on condition of anonymity, adding that around 20 termination letters have been issued to employees, citing a breach of employment terms.

Following a mass sick leave by over 300 cabin crew members, the atmosphere within Air India Express has become tense. The crew members asserted that despite assurances of job security, salary preservation, and recognition of seniority and expertise, there has been a visible departure from these commitments during the transition from AirAsia to Air India Express.

“Experienced personnel are being marginalised, while AirAsia India was favouring crew members with only '4-5 years' of experience, seemingly to prioritise youthfulness. Additionally, certain allowances like HRA, DA, Cosmetic Kit maintenance, and Uniform maintenance were eliminated, replaced instead by performance-based allowances tied to in-flight sales and passenger feedback,” she said.

Sources said that around 20 termination letters were issued to employees on Wednesday, citing a breach of employment terms. One such letter obtained by our sources stated, "Your act of reporting sick for work amounts to a concerted action with a common understanding, to not operate the flight and to disrupt services of the Company."

The termination letters emphasised the disruption caused by the mass sick leave, leading to flight cancellations and inconveniences for passengers. The letter accused the terminated employees of acting against the public interest and causing reputational damage and financial losses to Air India Express.

“This is in reference to your employment with Air India Express Limited ("Company") in the capacity of Cabin Crew Executive. It has been reported that you were rostered for a flight on 07.05.2024. However, you informed the Scheduling team at the last moment that you were unwell and accordingly reported sick. It is noted that at or around the same time, an overwhelming number of other cabin crew members have also reported sick and have not reported for their duties. This clearly points to a pre-meditated and concerted abstention from work without any justifiable reason,” read the termination letter to one of the cabin crew members.

It said that as a result of the above, a large number of flights had to be cancelled thereby disrupting the entire schedule, which caused tremendous inconvenience to the Company's esteemed passengers.

“Your act is not only subversive of public interest, but has also caused embarrassment, severe reputational damage, and serious monetary loss to the Company. Your act of reporting sick for work amounts to a concerted action with a common understanding, to not operate the flight and to disrupt services of the Company. This is not only in violation of the applicable laws, but also violates the Air India Express Limited Employees' Service Rules as are applicable to you,” it read.

“.......the Company has decided to terminate your employment with immediate effect on and from the date of this letter,” it added.

Meanwhile, an Air India Express Spokesperson stated on Thursday: “Air India Express is making every possible effort to minimise the inconvenience caused to our guests by this unexpected situation. We will be operating 292 flights today. We have mobilised all resources and Air India will support us by operating on 20 of our routes. However, 74 of our flights stand cancelled and we urge our guests booked to fly with us to check if their flight is affected by the disruption before heading to the airport. If their flight is cancelled, or delayed beyond 3 hours, they may opt for a full refund or reschedule to a later date without any fees on Tia on WhatsApp (+91 6360012345) or airindiaexpress.com."

"While we will continue to engage with our cabin crew colleagues with a commitment to address any concern, we are taking appropriate steps against certain individuals as their actions have caused grave inconvenience to thousands of our guests," the spokesperson added.