An order from the executive director, engineering, warned Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) and aircraft maintenance engineers that if they leave the organisation on completion of their training without serving a stipulated bond time period, the organisation will realise their benefits and salaries from them.
If the employees fail to pay the required amount to the management, the same will be deducted from their final settlement of dues.
As per the order, all aircraft maintenance engineers will be required to refund the cost of training, hotel expenses, travel and dearness allowances, as well as salary for the training period, and the opportunity cost of training to the AIESL.
Last week, the pilots and engineers had written to the management informing them that many of the experienced co-pilots were leaving for other better opportunities because private carriers were paying them much higher than Air India. They also expressed that as they were not getting paid for their work and the national carrier was also being privatised, they wished for their notice period to be waived off.
This order from the executive director of engineers appears to be in response to the demands of the pilots and engineers.
The employees are worried about their job security as the national carrier is being privatised. But in a statement last week, the civil aviation minister, Hardeep Singh Puri, had clarified that till the time the process of privatisation is completed, the carrier will continue its operations.
