A lot of ground technicians had call in sick, going on mass leave on 09 July, 2022 at Indigo Airlines. This was reportedly an act of protest against the low salaries that the technicians are receiving. Earlier, it was reported that half the cabin crew members at Indigo took sick leave on 02 July, which impacted 900 flights causing delays and chaos at airports. It was reported that since the crew members were not satisfied with their salaries, they had reported sick and gone to attend interviews at an Air India hiring event!
Though the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) had told the media that they are investigating the mass leave incident, Indigio has shared a statement saying that it is constantly in touch with its staff and is addressing the situation. The airline also maintains that the mass sick leave of the technicians did not affect operations.
“As a responsible employer, IndiGo is in constant dialogue with its employees to take care of any issues or grievances. The aviation industry has undergone a difficult phase over the last 24+ months. As business recovers, we are in the process of addressing some of the issues related to employee remuneration. This is an ongoing activity and we will continue to take employee feedback in the process,” says Indigo sharing a statement on the matter with HRKatha.
“Meanwhile, our operations continue to be normal, while we add several new destinations to our network and look forward to welcoming customers from across India and the world,” the Airline further adds.
It was reported in the media that after the technicians announced a mass leave, the Company had taken some action against its employees. Indigo had apparently asked the technicians to meet the company doctors and get their medical issues attended to and verified. If the employees failed to do so, they were told that it will be assumed that their act was intentional, which will invite disciplinary action as the act had impacted operations.
It is a known fact that Indigo employees have been unhappy with their low salaries. After realising that the resumption of activities of Air India and Jet Airways and the entry of Akasa Air in the Industry, may create a lot of churn, Indigo announced an eight per cent hike in salaries of employees in July. This was the second time such a hike was given to the employees this year.
