Unpaid Air India pilots warn of concentration problems

Mangalore Today News Network

Mumbai, June 23, 2011:  In a letter to management, Air India pilots claim that the repeated non-payment of their salaries has been causing financial and mental distress, thereby distracting them during flights. The cold war between Air India pilots and the airlines’ management has been fuelled again.

 
While the management is still dealing with the swirling rumours that the airlines is overworking its pilots, pilots have retaliated by warning the management that they may not be able to exercise the necessary levels of concentration and alertness during flying hours due to niggling worries about their financial situation, in the wake of AI’s non-payment of several months’ salary due to them.

In a letter written by the Pilots’ Guild, the members declared that would not owe any accountability in the event of any accident that led to loss or damage.
 
The national carrier has a family of 44,000 employees, but going by recent allegations leveled against it, the management’s attitude towards this family has been nothing short of step-motherly.
 
The pilots claim that they have not been receiving payment for the past two to three months.
 
With their backs reportedly against the wall, they have had to knock on the doors of the top officials, including that of the Civil Aviation Secretary Nasim Zaidi and DGCA chief E K Bhartbhushan, to request the speedy payment of their pending remuneration.
 
The pilots have claimed that the anxiety stemming from such non-payments of their dues has given rise to undue mental stress, which can act as a major source of distraction during flights.
 
MiD Day has obtained a copy of the letter written by members of the Indian Pilots Guild to the officials, dated June 9.
 
A cursory glance at this letter palpably reveals the frustration and angst experienced by the pilot. In this letter, the pilots mention that 70 per cent of their emoluments from the month of April, and 100 per cent from the month of May are pending, adding that the company had also not conveyed to them any anticipated date for the payment.
 
The letter further mentions that the delay and uncertainty in the payment of emoluments has made it extremely difficult for the employees to meet their monthly financial commitments, and in a number of cases, compelled them to default the repayment of loans taken by them.
 
Saying that while they are aware of the high degree of alertness that they are meant to exercise in course of flights in order to ensure the safety of the passengers and the aircraft, they are finding it difficult to meet these requirements owing to the constant niggling worries about their financial commitments.
 
This has been proving to be a major source of distraction in the flight deck, and impairing their ability to operate the flights safely.
 
In addition, severe financial penalties are have been imposed on the pilots when they take sick leave. These factors have collectively put the pilots under severe mental stress, raising the chances of them making grievous errors that could result in accidents.
 
Speaking to MiD DAY, a senior Air India pilot said, "This is not the first time that the payment of salary has been delayed. The management wants us to understand its problem, but who will understand our problem? We have to pay extra interest to the banks if we fail to pay the EMI on our housing loans.
 
"We fail to pay our kids’ school fees. If they delay paying our salaries for a month, it is understandable. But how can we manage if the delay drags on for two to three months?"
 
Speaking to MiD DAY, Air India Chief Information Officer Kamaljit Rattan presented a copy of the letter issued by the Air India CMD on June 16, addressed to the Air India employees.
The letter reiterates that Air India is passing through a critical and financially challenging phase, to the extent that it has become difficult for the airlines to sustain its operations without cash flow and revenue generation.
 
It says, "The company’s difficult financial situation has led to banks, financial institutions, vendors and suppliers asking for higher costs to cover credit risk. The low cash position over the past few years saw Oil Marketing Companies putting Air India on ’cash-and-carry’ since December 2010 - which is hurting our normal operations."
 
The letter also cites the heavy losses have been incurred by the airlines owing to the lengthy strikes waged by the pilots, saying "The recent strike and consequent huge losses to the tune of Rs. 250 crore forced the company into a hand-to-mouth existence and the lesson we need to take is clear: disruptions would only damage our ability to generate revenue."
 
The letter goes on to mention that while it is taking into cognizance the difficulties faced by the pilots due to the non-payment of salaries, "that your management has not left any stone unturned to convince the Ministry of Civil Aviation, Government of India and the Financial Institutions about the dire need to infuse more equity - without which it would simply not be possible to implement the Turn Around and Financial Restructuring Plan."
 
The letter further tries to assuage the concerns faced by the pilots by assuring them that their salaries would be would be credited to their accounts soon.
 
Rattan added that the CMD had assured the AI employees through a letter issued yesterday, that their salaries would be dispatched by June 28.