Jet Airways Employees Protest Against Salary Dues

New Delhi: Over 300 Jet Airways employees marched from Mumbai airport’s Terminal 2 at Sahar to Siroya Centre, the airline’s headquarters in Andheri East. The employees were from different departments – customer service, security, and ramp services. They marched demanding immediate payment of salary dues, as per reports.

Debt-ridden Jet Airways, founded by Naresh Goyal, is struggling to stay afloat, as it is saddled with a debt of over $1.2 billion. The airline has cancelled hundreds of flights and has not paid salaries as its revenues are fast depleting.

When the march reached Siroya Centre, president of the All India Jet Airways Officers and Staff Association (AIJOSA), Kiran Pawaskar, addressed the protesters. He said, “The company has not paid salaries to its employees (to date), which is in gross violation of the law of the land.” He also said that with close to 17,000 direct employees, the pain of such a big commercial organisation closing is going to be enormous in terms of both direct and indirect jobs.

Pawaskar added that for the past few years, the airline management has not been addressing many issues of the employees. “These include wage/salary revision from April 2018, bonus and ex-gratia payments, and leave and leave benefits,” he said.

At the protest, several employees revealed the problems they had been facing in their personal life, because of the non-payment of their salaries. A staffer from customer services department said, “I have recently been transferred to Mumbai from Trivandrum as the station was shut down. I have a daughter and have to pay rent in two cities. In the absence of salaries and any information about our professional future, I am doomed.”

A security supervisor who has been with the company for 10 years said: “I have a two-year-old daughter and I have been saving up for her education. However, since I haven’t received my salary, I had to pay my monthly expenses from that fund.”

Another ground staffer who has worked with the airline for nine years, said: “For the past five years we have been listening to vague promises from the management. We haven’t got an increment for the past five years because the company had been making losses. We have been quite supportive towards the company and we do not want it to fall; however, we deserve clarity on the future of the company and our salary.”

A senior customer care executive at the airport said: “The management should see what their staff goes through at the airport when stranded passengers yell at them. We don’t blame the passengers; they have paid money to buy expensive tickets.” He recalled the fury of a female passenger who spent ₹2 lakh on a flight ticket to Amsterdam and was stranded when the flight got cancelled.

A similar protest took place in October, 2008, when the airline had tried to retrench 1,000 staff.

Pawaskar told The Hindu that the airline management had told him that they needed ₹60 crore to pay the salaries of ground staff. “They [management] spoke of a plan A, B and C with regard to funds expected to be released by the banks. There is total mismanagement in the airline. My fear is if cancellations persist then the routes might go. And routes once gone would be difficult to regain immediately.”

The Employees’ Association held discussions with Raj Shivakumar, vice-president, network, revenue management, Praveen Iyer, vice president, revenue management, Rahul Taneja, chief people officer, and other senior management officials in the absence of airline CEO Vinay Dube. However, the association president told employees, “The management merely assured us; there is no solution yet.”

The Association submitted a complaint to the Sahar police, against Naresh Goyal, Vinay Dube, and State Bank of India Chairman Rajnish Kumar for bringing the airline to this situation. The Sahar Police said they would need to refer the matter to higher authorities, since it involves the former airline chairman, its present CEO, and SBI Chairman.

 “If the police do not lodge a complaint, we will intensify the protest,” Pawaskar said.

Rahul Taneja, Chief People Officer, Jet Airways, said in an attempt to pacify the employees, “We know the times are tough, and it is difficult to handle things. But we request you to please be patient. As soon as we get interim funding from SBI, we will transfer the funds.”

Taneja’s plea did not convince the employees. “It is a question of survival. The pilots and engineers are skilled and can get a job in any airline, however, the ground staff, especially the senior ones, will find it difficult,” said Pawaskar, as quoted in The Hindu report.