AI Express union denounces unfair labor practices and calls for intervention from labor commissioner

The Air India Express cabin crew union has alleged unfair labour practices by the airline, including issuing charge sheets to its members, and sought the intervention of the labour commissioner to resolve the issues.

The Air India Express Employees Union (AIXEU), affiliated to the Bharatiya Mazdoor Sangh, has written a letter to the Chief Labor Commissioner (Central) in this regard.

This communication also comes at a time when conciliation proceedings are underway before the CLC(C) over disputes between cabin crew members and the airline’s management.

The union alleged that management is adopting various measures that are not conducive to the establishment of good industrial relations.

“…their actions are spoiling industrial relations already affected by their unfair labor practices and labor law violations,” he says in a letter dated June 28.

There was no comment from Air India Express.

Among other issues, the union claimed that indictments had been issued to cabin crew who were granted sick leave from May 6 to 8 and that an investigation was underway against some union members.

On May 7, around 200 cabin crew members of Tata Group-owned Air India Express went on strike to protest alleged mismanagement at the airline, leading to the cancellation of hundreds of flights.

As a result, the airline’s management dismissed 25 cabin crew members and warned the others to return to work or face the same consequences.

On May 9, the strike was called off after a conciliation meeting between union representatives and management convened by the CLC(C). The dismissal letters were also subsequently withdrawn.

In the June 28 letter, the union claimed that the problems had arisen “due to the monopolistic and inflexible behavior of management” and requested the intervention of the CLC (C).