MUMBAI: With the Kingfisher
Airline management maintaining a stoic silence over the payment of salary
dues, a section of its pilots are contemplating to drag the management to the
labour court, sources said.
"(Airline) Chairman Vijay Mallya's
communication to the employees conceals more than it reveals. While he claims
over 75 per cent staff have been paid, he conveniently ignores the fact that he
has still to pay four months' salaries to them. Now we have come to a situation
where we are left with no option but to move the labour court over the
issue," airline sources told PTI here.
A group of pilots are in consultation with lawyers
in this regard, they said, adding that they are likely to move the court some
time this week.
In the absence of a trade union at the airline for
its nearly 1,700 employees, the pilots are planning to approach the court in
groups, they said.
Notably, none of the five private airlines have
trade unions. A few years back, a group of Jet pilots had tried to form a
union, but the move was nipped in the bud by the management.
The debt-ridden airline has paid February salaries
to around 75 percent of the staff, while the rest are yet to get their dues.
"Unfortunately, the airline is keeping mum on
when it will pay the salaries for March, April, May and June," they said.
Mallya, who shot off an emotional letter to his
staff yesterday after a large number of its employees went on a strike leading
to cancellation of over 40 flights, had said, "The commitment made by
chief executive Sanjay Aggarwal and executive vice president Hitesh Patel
regarding salaries recently have been met to the extent of 75 percent."
Mallya, however, gave no assurance by when the
remaining salary dues would be cleared.
He also asked the agitating employees not to talk
to the media or "disgrace" the company saying it would affect the
recapitalisation efforts.
Reacting sharply to Mallya's letter, some pilots
had said there could not be a bigger disgrace to the company than defaulting on
payments to its aircraft lessors, airport operators, oil marketing firms, the
government, apart from the salaries of its employees.
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