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Air India Express lays off employees for ‘pre-meditated’ sick leave. (File photo)
Air India Express on Wednesday laid off some senior cabin crew members who ‘reported sick’ causing disruption in its flight operations
Air India Express on Wednesday terminated the contract of some senior cabin crew members who ‘reported sick’ causing disruption in its flight operations. Mentioning the reason behind laying off the employees who did not report to duty, the airlines noted that the act of the concerned individuals was “pre-meditated and concerted abstention from work without any justifiable reason”.
In a letter of termination sent to one of its employees, the airline stated that an overwhelming number of airline crew members reported to be sick at the eleventh hour. “This clearly points to a pre-meditated and concerted abstention from work without any justifiable reason,” the letter read.
According to CNBC, Air India Express further stated that the action of crew members resulted in the cancellation of a large number of flights, affecting the airline’s schedule and causing inconvenience to passengers. Hence, it terminated the contracts of the concerned employees with immediate effect.
In the termination letter to its employees, the company added, “Your act is not only subversive of public interest, but has also caused embarrassment, severe reputational damage and serious monetary loss to the company.”
Over 100 Employees Reported Sick Last Minute
Issuing a statement on the cancellation of over 90 flights, Air India Express CEO Aloke Singh on Wednesday announced that the airline will be reducing flights over the next few days due to a significant number of cabin crew reporting sick just before their scheduled duties.
“Over 100 of our cabin crew colleagues have reported sick prior to their rostered flight duty, at the last minute, severely disrupting our operations. Because this action was mostly by colleagues assigned L1 role, the impact was disproportionate, disrupting 90+ flights even though other colleagues reported for duty,” the CEO said in a 350-word statement.
Singh further assured stakeholders of open communication channels and invited dialogue to address concerns.
Aviation Ministry Seeks Report
Meanwhile, the Civil Aviation Ministry on Wednesday sought a report on the cancellations of flights and asked the airlines to ensure facilities for passengers as per the norms laid down by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
In addition to this, the ministry asked the carrier, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Air India, to resolve the issue “promptly”.
