Air India Express’ employee union has flagged concerns over the low-cost carrier’s recent move to issue chargesheets to nearly 200 cabin crew members who had reported sick during a strike last month.
In a letter addressed to Air India Express chief Alok Kumar, the union said punitive actions against staff who had participated in the brief industrial action could undermine recovery efforts at the Tata Group-owned airline and impact passenger experience.
Around 200 cabin crew members had gone on a one-day strike on May 7 to protest alleged mismanagement, leading to hundreds of cancellations. The issue was later resolved through conciliation.
However, the airline management recently served charge-sheets to crew, seeking an explanation within 72 hours. It had also terminated 25 staff initially over the strike before reversing the decision as part of the settlement.
The union contends matters were already settled through a deal facilitated by the labour commissioner. Reviving issues now could dent employee morale and ruin already fragile industrial relations, it warned.
It has urged the management to refrain from reopening closed issues and cooperate to strengthen the partnership instead. The union also argued crew were available for flights the day after conciliation ended the impasse.
While acknowledging operational disruptions occurred after, it denied linking them to cabin staff actions and flagged concerns over inadequate software training instead.
The development assumes significance as Air India Express works to rebuild after recent turbulence even as the larger Air India group undergoes revamp under Tata ownership. Maintaining employee cooperation will be crucial to its turnaround strategy.
