On Thursday, the airline had sacked 25 of the crew members who had called in sick.In a significant development amid the Air India Express crisis, which led to the cancellation of over 170 flights since Wednesday, the airline’s management reinstated all 25 crew members who were terminated for participating in the ‘mass leave’ protests. All 300 crew members who had reported sick are expected to resume their duties.
Representatives of the airline’s management and the Air India Express Employees Union met at the Labour Commissioner’s office on Thursday. A document was signed by representatives of both the management and the union.
“It is reported by the media that the cabin crew of Air India Express Ltd. have reported sick-en-masse which disrupted flight operations widely… After detailed discussions deliberation, persuasion and on appeal of Conciliation Officer and Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) the representative of union (members of cabin crew) agreed that all the cabin crew members who have reported sick will report for duty with fitness certificate immediately,” the document said.
“On appeal of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) the management agreed to reinstate 25 cabin crew who have been terminated on 07th and 08th May 2024 for reporting sick as a concerted action immediately. The management will review the cases of these cabin crew as per service regulations,” it said.
The Labour Commissioner’s office announced that the management representatives have provided assurance that all concerns raised by the cabin crew, both before them and during the conciliation proceedings, will be addressed and resolved.
An Air India Express spokesperson said, “We are pleased with the progress we made at the conciliation meeting and welcome our cabin crew colleagues back at work. This will help us swiftly restore our flight schedule and fulfil our commitments to our guests. We sincerely apologise to those inconvenienced by these unintended disruptions.”
“As we gradually bring our operations back to normalcy, we urge our guests booked to fly with us to check their flight status before heading to the airport. If their flight is cancelled, or delayed beyond 3 hours, they may opt for a full refund or reschedule to a later date without any fees,” the spokesperson added.
Soon after, the airline issued reinstatement letters to the dismissed employees, effective immediately.
“Pursuant to the conciliation proceedings dated 09.05.2024, it has been decided to reinstate you in the services with immediate effect. Above is without prejudice to our rights to review your case as per the Service Regulations as mentioned in the minutes of conciliation,” the letter said.
It was also announced that the month’s salary, which had been credited to the employees’ accounts after the issuance of termination letters, would be adjusted against the salary payable for May.
The airline was compelled to cancel flights on Wednesday when 300 senior cabin crew members began reporting sick, starting Tuesday night, and subsequently switched off their cellphones. The crisis was triggered by new employment terms and alterations to the compensation package. Crew members had voiced grievances regarding unequal treatment of staff.