KFA makes Diwali offer to workers
23 Oct 2012 8:36 AM IST
Kingfisher Airlines has offered its striking employees a staggered payment of three months' salary dues before Diwali in mid-November in a bid to get them back to work, but a section of employees rejected the offer prolonging the 23-day impasse. The protesting workers insisted on a written assurance from the management, alleging that it had earlier backtracked on promises made.
The offer was made to the employees representatives, who have been demanding payment of pending salary dues of at least four out of seven months before they resume work, held a meeting with management representatives at the Kingfisher House in Mumbai on Monday.
'There has been no written communication from the management in this regard. We don't know about any such offer,' a pilot, who was part of the meeting, said, when asked whether the management had offered to clear two-three instalments of salary dues before Diwali in November. 'We cannot trust their words. They have gone back on their verbal promises earlier. We need a clear-cut written assurance,' he said.
Airline sources, however, said such an offer was made to the employees during the discussions on Monday.
The agitating staff have already planned to hold demonstrations and other protest actions, especially during the upcoming Formula One motor race in which UB Group chief and Kingfisher promoter Vijay Mallya is involved.
The meeting came in the backdrop of the airline losing its license to fly with aviation regulator DGCA suspending it last Friday, capping three weeks of lockout in the beleaguered carrier.
Ahead of the talks, a company spokesperson had said, 'It is our endeavour to restart operations at the earliest and we assure you we are working towards achieving this.'
'We have in any case always maintained that once the issues with the employees are resolved, we will first present our resumption plan to DGCA for review, before resuming operations,' he had said.
The offer was made to the employees representatives, who have been demanding payment of pending salary dues of at least four out of seven months before they resume work, held a meeting with management representatives at the Kingfisher House in Mumbai on Monday.
'There has been no written communication from the management in this regard. We don't know about any such offer,' a pilot, who was part of the meeting, said, when asked whether the management had offered to clear two-three instalments of salary dues before Diwali in November. 'We cannot trust their words. They have gone back on their verbal promises earlier. We need a clear-cut written assurance,' he said.
Airline sources, however, said such an offer was made to the employees during the discussions on Monday.
The agitating staff have already planned to hold demonstrations and other protest actions, especially during the upcoming Formula One motor race in which UB Group chief and Kingfisher promoter Vijay Mallya is involved.
The meeting came in the backdrop of the airline losing its license to fly with aviation regulator DGCA suspending it last Friday, capping three weeks of lockout in the beleaguered carrier.
Ahead of the talks, a company spokesperson had said, 'It is our endeavour to restart operations at the earliest and we assure you we are working towards achieving this.'
'We have in any case always maintained that once the issues with the employees are resolved, we will first present our resumption plan to DGCA for review, before resuming operations,' he had said.
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