Air India Express Cabin Crew Charge-Sheet Sparks Unfair Labour Practices Debate

The Air India Express Employees Union has condemned the issuance of charge-sheets to approximately 200 cabin crew members for reporting sick during a recent strike, terming it an unfair labour practice. The Union has warned that such actions could harm the airline and its passengers, urging management to avoid reopening settled issues.

The Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU) has condemned the alleged issuance of charge-sheets by the airline's management to about 200 cabin crew members who reported sick during last month's strike, labeling it as an unfair labour practice.

In a letter addressed to Air India Express chief Alok Singh on Sunday, AIXEU cautioned the Tata Group-run airline's management that such measures could be detrimental to both the company and its passengers.

The Union sources revealed that the charge-sheet was issued on June 5, demanding a response within 72 hours from the affected cabin crew members.

Approximately 200 cabin crew members of Air India Express initiated a strike on May 7, protesting alleged mismanagement within the airline, leading to the cancellation of hundreds of flights. In response, the airline's management terminated 25 crew members' services and warned others of similar fate should they not return to work.

Following a conciliation meeting held at the Office of the Chief Labour Commissioner (Central) in Delhi on May 9, the strike was called off, and the termination orders were revoked as part of the settlement.

K K Vijayakumar, AIXEU president, urged the management to avoid reopening resolved issues, emphasizing that such actions could harm industrial relations and affect passenger interests. He highlighted that the issues were settled amicably before the Central Labour Commissioner on May 9, warning that pursuing charge-sheets and punitive actions would exacerbate tensions.

Furthermore, the Union pointed to operational lapses, such as data loss due to new software, being unfairly attributed to cabin crew members.