Air India Express in Takeoff Terror! 30 Crew Fired After Mass Sickout Grounds Flights
New Delhi. Going tough on the senior crew members, Air India Express on Thursday sacked more than 25 members after they didn't report to work, and due to their behavior, thousands of passengers suffered, as per sources.
Employees went on mass sick leave
The move from the air carrier has come after a large number of employees went on mass sick leave on Tuesday, which led to the cancelation of numerous flight cancelation on Wednesday, causing inconvenience to the passengers. The sources have claimed that the mass sick leave was prompted by discontent among the cabin crew regarding the merger of Air India and Air Asia, which led to allegations of mistreatment against the crew.
Meanwhile, Air India Express has apologized for the inconvenience caused by unprecedented flight delays and cancellations. The air carrier has requested the passengers to check the flight status before heading towards the airport.
As per sources, the email sent to the crew members stated "pre-meditated and concerted abstention from work without any justifiable reason".
"This is about your employment with Air India Express Limited ("Company") in the capacity of Cabin Crew Executive. It has been reported that you were rostered for a flight on 07.05.2024. However, you informed the Scheduling team at the last moment that you were unwell and accordingly reported sick. It is noted that at or around the same time, an overwhelming number of other cabin crew members have also reported sick and have not reported for their duties," the note read.
The press note further says, “Given the above, the Company has decided to terminate your employment with immediate effect on and from the date of this letter, and accordingly: (i) you will no longer be considered an employee of the Company, and the Company will no longer have any obligations to you as an employer; (ii) you will no longer have access to any official emails, servers, other communication, any information relating to the Company; and (ii) you and/or your dependents shall not be eligible for any employee-related benefits provided by the Company.”
Meanwhile, the Union Civil Aviation Minister, Jyotiradiya Scindia has asked for a detailed report from Air India Express on the issue, as per sources.