Opinion- Time for some serious thinking, Mr Aviation Minister
Neelam Mathews Sept 8, 2012 Even as the proposal for two subsidiary units for Air India—Air India Engineering Services and Air India Transport- one for engineering and another other for ground handling, has been cleared by the Cabinet, we might just be entering into the realm of a known subject- strikes. About 40 percent of Air India employees (12,000) will be transferred to Air India Transport with an authorised capital of Rs 1,000 crore . One isn’t sure about the engineering unit. What is clear is that this will not go down well with the erstwhile Indian Airlines engineering team who have time and again said they have been given a step motherly treatment after the merger. Air India management has turned a blind eye and deaf ears to this issue. Nothing has been done for five years since the merger to address the insecurities of engineers (nor pilots) as “technical issues are still to be sorted out". Concerns relate to salary scales, allowances and care...