LWP: Air India forms panel to identify employees to be sent on leave

New Delhi: Days after announcing leave without pay (LWP) scheme for its employees, Air India has started the process of identification for redundant or surplus employees in the company to be sent on compulsory leave for a period from six months up to five years. As per the report, the airline has constituted a committee for 'identification of redundant/surplus manpower resources'. The Committee will reportedly submit its report to the regional director's office by August 11 for review.

According to the letter issued by the airline, it has chosen a committee in which, General Manager (Personnel) Convener, General Manager (Finance), Member, Departmental Head, Member One representative of Regional Director (RD) to be co-opted, in case required on case merit. These four senior-level officers will decide and submit a report regarding the identification of redundant or surplus manpower resources to the AI regional director (RD) office and later Airline headquarter will take the final decision.

"General Manager (Personnel) will share the staff list with all departments and convene the discussions/deliberations including the process of identification of surplus/redundant resources. The report is to be submitted to the RD office by 11 August 2020 for review and onward recommendations to headquarters," the letter said.

According to the LWP scheme cleared by Air India, some employees will be sent on leave for a period ranging from six months to two years and this can be extended for up to 5 years. Employees will be chosen on the basis of seven factors including competence, the health of the employee, suitability, efficiency, quality of performance & redundancy.

A senior official in Air India on the condition of anonymity said, "Air India has around 10,000 employees & in the time of Coronavirus it is becoming very difficult to manage finances, with hardly any support coming from the government this was the best possible option we could think of."

Indian Commercial Pilots Association, Air India's Pilots Union has said that this move is like 'cherry-picking by the top management to safeguard their pay and those of their people while burdening other employees.'