AIESL aircraft technicians have issued a strike notice for April 23, demanding constructive dialogue with the CEO to address grievances and avoid disruptions. The All India Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Union (AIAMEU) stressed the need for immediate action to resolve issues.

The AIAMEU, in a letter, dated April 08, addressed to the company’s CEO and CHRO urged, “constructive dialogue and immediate steps to address grievances in good faith” to avert a disruption.

Employees’ concerns

The union cited a lack of promotions in seven years, leading to employee demoralisation. The letter stated: “This lack of career advancement opportunities has created a sense of stagnation and discontent among employees.” They are also unhappy with delays in promised salary revisions for technicians who completed 2-3 years of service.

The newly implemented service agreement is another point of contention. The union believes the temporary staff are unfairly targetted by extending their notice period compared to permanent employees.

AIESL maintained they are already in discussions with the union. An AIESL spokesperson explained the situation regarding the pay structure for Fixed Term Employees (FTEs): “Recently, the revised pay structure for FTEs was implemented for all cadres except technicians (FTEs) due to a pending court case. The union requested equal pay for equal work, but AIESL management has requested that they accept the revised structure and withdraw the court case to proceed.”

AIESL, a subsidiary of AI Asset Holding Company Ltd, specialisesin providing maintenance, repair, and overhaul (MRO) services for Air India and various other airlines.

A senior AIESL official acknowledged the technicians’ desire for better pay and working conditions and expressed the company’s willingness to negotiate within reason. They added, “The HR team has been in conversation with the engineers. We have given them a complete career progression plan and revised contracts. We are willing to work with them, but there are some things that just cannot happen. We understand that they want a little more salary, and they have a few other demands. We are negotiating with them. We will follow the process.”

The union’s letter also criticized the lack of transparency from management and objected to recent changes in the uniform policy, alleging a lack of consultation with the employees. They further accused the management of failing to deliver on promises made during the last strike, such as forming a committee to address salary revisions and career progression. The letter quoted: “During the last strike, it was discussed that management will establish a committee... But this promise also turned out to be a mendacious one.”

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