AI employees seek PM's intervention in PLI payments

Wishing the Prime Minister a Happy Diwali, Air India pilots today said there was "darkness" in their lives as 80% of their salaries in the form of productivity-linked incentives (PLI) had not been paid for four months.

In a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) sought his intervention to expedite the payment of PLI.

"Sadly with two days to Diwali, 'The Festival of Lights', there still continues to be darkness in the lives of Air India employees with 80% of our salary due in the form of PLI and allowances" not being paid for almost four months, ICPA General Secretary Rishabh Kapur said in the letter.

"While we continue to strive with smile on our faces and offer exemplary hospitality to make our esteemed passengers feel at home, always in the hope of a revival of the national carrier, the fact is that the employees and their families are suffering," he said.

Kapur sought the Prime Minister's intervention in the matter, saying "we would like to put on record that the failures of the airline cannot be attributed to the employees at all".

Maintaining that Air India had suffered only due to "mismanagement" in the past, he however said the situation "now seems to be improving now with the new CMD [Rohit Nandan] in charge".