Jet Airways staff seek President, PM Modi’s intervention

New Delhi: Employees of Jet Airways have written to President Ram Nath Kovind and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, seeking their intervention to recover outstanding dues as well as to expedite the process of emergency funds for the airline, which has closed its operations temporarily.

Cash-starved Jet Airways, which has around 23,000 employees, has delayed payment of salaries to the employees, including pilots.

Amid uncertainty over the future course of the carrier, two employees’ unions have now written to the President and the Prime Minister.

In separate but similarly-worded letters this week, the Society for Welfare of Indian Pilots (SWIP) and Jet Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Welfare Association (JAMEWA) have requested help in clearing their outstanding salary dues.

“We request you to consider the situation with the urgency it deserves and direct the management of Jet Airways (India) Ltd to expeditiously disburse all outstanding dues to affected employees. We also urge you to expedite the process of emergency funding as every minute and every decision is very critical in these testing times,” one of the letters said.

After months of uncertainty, Jet Airways announced temporary suspension of its operations on April 17 as it failed to receive emergency funds from lenders.

The unions highlighted that a section of employees have not been paid their salaries on time for the last seven months and that the distressing situation was also brought to the notice of the ministry of labour and employment in March.

“The management of Jet Airways has gone back on its salary arrears payment schedule conveyed by mail dated December 7, 2018. The outstanding amount for pilots and engineers as of now is three months’ salary (full salaries for the months of January, February, and March) while for all other staff it is one month’s salary,” the letter said.

Noting that employees did their best to keep up the highest standards of safety and professionalism in these trying times, the grouping said non-payment of salaries is causing extreme hardships for employees.

SWIP has around 1,200 members while JAMEWA represents more than 500 employees. “We have also realised that with the Jet Airways sinking, not only will the 23,000 employees be affected directly, a number of people who are running business or are associated with us in some way or the other will be affected.”