Salary cuts: Jet pilots say start with expats

Mumbai: Jet Airways warned its pilots union on Saturday that everyone from the CEO downwards would have to take a pay cut if the airline was to stay in business. It said the decision was not open to negotiation. But the union, Society for the Welfare of Indian Pilots (SWIP), says it is unfair to trim their salaries even as Jet pays expatriate pilots double. The union say expat salaries should be trimmed first.
"We have not given any assurance of support or agreed to anything so far. But we did demand that other cost-cutting measures be put in place first. They have told us about the formation of a task force to identify and implement cost-saving steps," said a source. The union has asked to meet Jet's founder-chairman Naresh Goyal to discuss cost-cutting measures. Expat pilots and their high salaries figure on the wishlist.
"No expat pilot has been served a termination notice even though we were given to understand that their exit was imminent in the present circumstances of reducing fleet strength and surplus crew," says a letter from the SWIP to Jet's top management. CEO Wolfgang Prock-Schaeur said he could not comment on the issue because "it is an internal matter of the company on which I will not like to make any comment in public".
"The airline has 260 expatriate pilots (and 780 Indian pilots) and it has not initiated any steps to reduce the numbers of expats. The expat pilots who earn double the salary for doing the same work will not be facing any salary cuts as they are on contract," said an airline commander.
02/11/08 Manju V & Saurabh Sinha/Times of India

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Categories: Jet Airways Nov 2008