Jet Airways’ Pilots Warn Of “Non-Cooperation” On Salary Payment

Jet Airways Ltd.'s pilots have warned the management of non-cooperation over default on payments after the carrier delayed salaries for the second consecutive month amid a cash crunch.

“Withholding salaries, that too without prior notice, is a serious matter and the management will bear sole responsibility for any repercussions,” Jet Airways' pilots said in a communication to the management earlier this week. “We would like to advise that failure to address the above points and not paying the salaries on time would lead to non-cooperation by pilots.”

Response to a query sent to Jet Airways on this was awaited.

The Naresh Goyal-promoted private airline, in which UAE national carrier Etihad holds 24 percent stake, is facing acute cash crunch after posting two back-to-back quarterly losses this year.

Jet Airways had delayed payment of July salaries to its staff earlier. It had proposed an up to 25 percent cut in salaries of its employees in late June but was forced to defer the plan following opposition from its pilots' union - National Aviator's Guild (NAG) - and engineers. “(Earlier) it was agreed that, henceforth, salaries would be paid on time and, if there were to be a delay, the same would be communicated to the pilots well in time,” the pilots said.

The pilots had written to airline chief executive officer Vinay Dube late last month expressing their displeasure over the unnecessary increase in expenditure in the recent times.

In the latest letter, they have also demanded that “all unnecessary positions and committees/ groups created in the last three months be dissolved with immediate effect and the hiring of the expensive expats (vis-a-vis domestic pilots) be stopped forthwith.”

“We trust you will treat the above with the urgency it deserves and take immediate steps to resolve the situation,” they said in the communication.