Dispute in India over job cuts at French airline

Ground handling workers in India are fighting to win their jobs back after they were sacked from a French airline.
Some 40 workers based in Mumbai and New Delhi were dismissed from their posts at Air France KLM at the beginning of this year. The move was in response to the Indian government’s plans to introduce a new policy on ground handling. The policy stipulates that, from January 2009, all ground handling at major international Indian airports should be carried out by three private companies rather than by the airlines’ own employees. However, implementation of the policy has not yet been tabled for New Delhi and, as a result of union protests, has been deferred in Mumbai. Nevertheless, Air France KLM decided to proceed with the measures.
The dismissed workers approached the ITF-affiliated Aviation Industry Employees’ Guild, which has been acting on their behalf.
In a letter to Air France KLM Chairman and Chief Executive Officer Jean-Cyril Spinetta, Francois Cabrera, General Secretary of the European Works Council (EWC) at Air France KLM and Eduardo Chagas, General Secretary of the ITF’s European arm, the ETF, expressed their concern over the sackings and demanded the workers be reinstated. They added that Air France KLM’s EWC agreement was “claimed to be one of best within the transport industry, as was the Social Charter signed by the EWC and the ETF.”
They warned: “We insist that the company demonstrates consistency in its attitude towards all its employees all over the world. There can be no place for double standards within a corporate policy for social responsibility.”
11/03/09 ITF Global

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Categories: Foreign Mar 2009