Air India Express sacks crew members over 'pre-meditated' mass sick leave

Air India Express fired nearly 25 cabin crew a day after around 300 employees went on 'mass sick leave' and switched off their phones, causing large-scale flight disruptions. 

There are chances that the number of people sacked will increase and the management will most probably hold a town hall meeting on Thursday (May 9) with the cabin crew members. 

The mass sick leave led to the cancellation of around 86 international and domestic flights on May 8 and 76 flights on May 9.

In the termination letter sent to the 25 off-crew members, Air India Express said that their act "clearly points to a pre-meditated and concerted abstention from work without any justifiable reason."

Also Read: Air India Express chaos: Nearly 300 crew go on 'mass sick leave', more than 80 flights cancelled

"As a result of the above, a large number of flights had to be cancelled, thereby disrupting the entire schedule, which caused tremendous inconvenience to the Company's esteemed passengers. Your act is not only subversive of public interest, but has also caused embarrassment, severe reputational damage, and serious monetary loss to the Company," read the letter.

"Your act of reporting sick for work amounts to a concerted action with a common understanding, to not operate the flight and to disrupt services of the Company. This is not only in violation of the applicable laws but also violates the Air India Express Limited Employees' Service Rules as are applicable to you," it added. 

According to the report, the management said that an ultimatum has been given to the employees to join work by 4 pm on May 9 or face action.

Why did crew members go on 'mass sick leave'?

Air India Express employees were protesting against the company's new employment terms, as per the reports. According to the reports, the crew allege that there is a lack of equality in the way the staff is treated. 

The employees claimed that few of them were offered lower job roles even though they cleared interviews for senior positions. 

The employees had also raised concerns regarding some modifications in their compensation package. Such developments continue to take place as the airline remains involved in a merger with AIX Connect (formerly AirAsia India).

Watch: Air India Express chaos: Nearly 300 crew go on 'mass sick leave', more than 80 flights cancelled

The Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), an organisation representing the crew members, in a letter, wrote about the "stark departure from commitments".

The union further accused Air India Express of mismanagement and treating employees unequally.

Reacting to the current scenario, an Air India Express spokesperson said, “Air India Express is making every possible effort to minimise the inconvenience caused to our guests by this unexpected situation. We will be operating 292 flights today. We have mobilised all resources and Air India will support us by operating on 20 of our routes. However, 74 of our flights stand cancelled and we urge our guests booked to fly with us to check if their flight is affected by the disruption 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 on Tia on WhatsApp (+91 6360012345) or on airindiaexpress.com.:

"While we will continue to engage with our cabin crew colleagues with a commitment to address any concern, we are taking appropriate steps against certain individuals as their actions have caused grave inconvenience to thousands of our guests," the spokesperson added.

(With inputs from agencies)