NEW DELHI: Air India pilots have rejected the new pay structure finalised for them by the airline. The biggest bone of contention is that under the new structure, they are assured of 40 hours of flying allowance every month — down from 70 hours in pre-pandemic times. The two unions — Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) of erstwhile Indian Airlines and Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) of erstwhile Air India have warned of “industrial unrest” if the new terms are imposed on them. While saying that it will “continue to engage with the remainder of its staff,” on this issue, the now-private Maharaja says that there are “no recognised union in Air India” — taking a tough stance on the issue.
“These terms and conditions are not acceptable to us, and we will contest this travesty using any and all avenues available to us. Our member pilots will not sign this unilateral revised terms of employment and compensation. Any coercive steps or victimisation by the company against our member pilots to sign these draconian terms and compensation will lead to industrial unrest,” a joint statement by the two unions says.

Regarding the pilots’ representation, an Air India spokesperson said: “The new compensation structure for pilots and cabin crew is our endeavour to bring in parity among different groups, encourage productivity and boost emoluments drawn by them. The managerial and supervisory role played by the experienced pilots is also being recognised in the form of designating them as Senior Commander as also offering them a special monthly allowance. The contracts reflecting these enhancements were individually sent to the pilots and cabin crew for necessary paper work. A large number of pilots and cabin crew have already accepted the new contracts, and the salary improvements and advancement opportunities they enable. The airline will continue to engage with the remainder of its staff through this process as currently there is no recognised union in Air India.”

The pilots’ representation says: “The term cost to the company for an assumed flying of 70 hours is deliberately misleading and creates an impression of a generous compensation and accompanying benefits package. The actual guaranteed money being offered is only for 40 hours. Effectively, any time a pilot is on leave or is unavailable due to recurrent training requirements or document/licence renewals not to mention any sick leave, there is an automatic pay cut involved. The so called rationalisations of allowances is not in line with any industry practices as projected by HR.”

It adds: “The implications of what the management is expecting pilots to agree to (include): the company want(ing) to completely absolve itself from the responsibility of providing pilots with a stable roster around which we can plan our lives. As per company ‘requirement’ and in the name of ‘business exigency’, pilots are now expected to be on call 24×7, effectively on a perpetual standby. So any family/social commitments or semblance of a work/life balance that pilots may want is now irrelevant.”