Uniform pay, for Air India, Indian Airlines pilots: Ajit Singh

Mangalore Today / CNN-IBN

New Delhi, June 1: Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Friday made public the Dharmadhikari Report and said that the demands of striking Air India pilots will be looked into only after they end their strike unconditionally. Singh also said that the ministry has set up a core panel to implement the recommendations of the Dharmadhikari report on the merger of Indian Airlines and Air India.

 

 

There will be parity between the pay scales of the two airlines, promised the minister. Also, years of service would determine seniority levels and promotions, frozen since April 2011, would now be implemented within 45 days.

Singh said that there would be a uniform policy on working hours for the two airlines but remained firm that there would be no talks with striking pilots unless the strike is called off unconditionally.

"The Committee has suggested that both pilots and engineers, and also technicians under them should be given line seniority based on wide and narrow bodied aircraft for which they have been trained and licensed. The committee has also recommended that pay of all employees will be protected and allowances will be as per the guidelines with some exceptions. The Dharmadikari Committee has written about need for certain allowances which are given to certain class of employees like pilots, cabin crew and engineers as per the industry standards," said Singh.

Speaking at a press conference on Friday, Singh said that April 1, 2011 has been set as cut off date for new pay scales and also promised that senior employees won’t be paid less than junior employees. A four-member committee would be formed to implement the report.

The report has recommended the abolishment of production-linked-incentive (PLI) for employees and the pilots would get allowances according to industry standards after the Cabinet’s nod.

The Dharmadhikari report on integration of about 27,000 employees of unified Air India, including pilots, cabin crew and engineers, was submitted in January this year almost five years after the merger of two state-run airlines.