New Delhi: Air India is promoting nearly 4,000 of the 21,000 non-licensed employees (that do not include pilots, engineers and cabin crew) this week in one of the largest ever mass elevation in a PSU. But the annual wage payout of the non-licensed staffers will drop by about Rs 200 crore per annum along with around Rs 150 crore for their 5,000 licensed counterparts from next year.
Also, the "Hindu undivided family" definition for doling out free tickets that so far included brothers, sisters, in-laws, bahus and son-in-laws of the employee is now going to be restricted to just self, spouse, children and dependant parents. And, the "virtually unlimited" free tickets enjoyed so far will now begin with four return tickets per year. This number will rise with the years an employee has spent with AI-IA and be capped at a rather generous 24.
The travel for all level of employees, except the chairman, will be on economy class, which is, however, only in theory. In practice, it will happen only if the airline bans all upgrades except for commercial reasons.
12/12/12 Saurabh Sinha/Times of India
