MUMBAI | NEW DELHI:
The wife of a Kingfisher AirlinesBSE -4.68 %staff committed suicide citing non-payment
of salaries, bringing home to urban India's cloistered living rooms the brutal
realities of a life without income usually experienced by residents in
drought-stricken Vidarbha or the parched badlands of Kalahandi.
Sushmita Chakraborty, the 45-year-old wife of Manas Chakraborty, died by her own hands on Thursday at her home in Dwarka in Delhi, police said. She left behind a note that spoke of financial distress caused by non-payment of salaries to her husband, a technician in the airline.
"She has written that her husband has not got salary for the past five months and so she was unable to cope up with the situation," said AK Ojha, additional commissioner of police (south-west), Delhi.
Kingfisher Airlines is owned by one of India's flamboyant and super-rich industrialists, Vijay Mallya. The airline industry is regulated by the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which has taken no action in the past one year as Kingfisher imploded, owing salaries to employees and money to lenders.
Aviation experts have been scathing in their criticism of Mallya and about the way the issue has been handled by the government.
"The government's hands seem to be tied due to the political clout of the promoter. But definitely, not being paid for seven months is a safety issue as the mind of the pilot or an engineer is not at work, and in aviation a split-second delay can cause loss of life. What kind of an argument is the CEO putting forth for his employees to accept? If he does not have the money to run the airline and pay salaries, his licence should be cancelled and he has no right to fly the airline," aviation expert Mohan Ranganathan said.
The suicide followed an ugly day of incidents on Wednesday with the airline employees angrily refusing to believe CEO Sanjay Aggarwal's assertions about quick payment, forcing him to walk out. On Thursday, employees held a candle light march to the Kingfisher head office near Mumbai's Santa Cruz airport. In a late night statement, the airline said it had extended the shutdown till October 12 after failing to reach an agreement with agitating employees.
"Emotions are running high now and the management has blood on their hands. They were trying to brush the suicide under the carpet since morning," said Vikrant Patkar, a KFA pilot.
"It is now our only demand that Mallya should come down and speak with employees on critical matters," Patkar added.
A 20-something flight engineer, who earns barely Rs 12,000 a month, has been kicked out of his house thrice in seven months for not paying rent. "I have sent my wife back home to Kolkata since I couldn't manage with no income and ever-growing dues," the engineer said.
Then there is the case of a captain who is struggling to raise EMIs, school fees and other expenses. "I have broken every fixed deposit and emptied all my savings," said the captain. "We don't want March salary we want our dues for the past seven months." While Mallya seems to have time for cricket, racing and even to send in his yacht, he's yet to pay his condolences for this incident, he alleges.
The employees ET spoke to also alleged there were colleagues who were literally homeless and spent their work nights at the Mumbai airport or in neighbouring cargo holds. "There is little hope for many of them," one employee said.
The distrust of Mallya spreads across the rank and file of Kingfisher. Another senior flight engineer complained that employees have become persona non grata with banks, as they seek loans to survive. "No one wants to touch us with seven months of inactivity in our salary accounts," he rued.
Sushmita Chakraborty, the 45-year-old wife of Manas Chakraborty, died by her own hands on Thursday at her home in Dwarka in Delhi, police said. She left behind a note that spoke of financial distress caused by non-payment of salaries to her husband, a technician in the airline.
"She has written that her husband has not got salary for the past five months and so she was unable to cope up with the situation," said AK Ojha, additional commissioner of police (south-west), Delhi.
Kingfisher Airlines is owned by one of India's flamboyant and super-rich industrialists, Vijay Mallya. The airline industry is regulated by the Director-General of Civil Aviation (DGCA), which has taken no action in the past one year as Kingfisher imploded, owing salaries to employees and money to lenders.
Aviation experts have been scathing in their criticism of Mallya and about the way the issue has been handled by the government.
"The government's hands seem to be tied due to the political clout of the promoter. But definitely, not being paid for seven months is a safety issue as the mind of the pilot or an engineer is not at work, and in aviation a split-second delay can cause loss of life. What kind of an argument is the CEO putting forth for his employees to accept? If he does not have the money to run the airline and pay salaries, his licence should be cancelled and he has no right to fly the airline," aviation expert Mohan Ranganathan said.
The suicide followed an ugly day of incidents on Wednesday with the airline employees angrily refusing to believe CEO Sanjay Aggarwal's assertions about quick payment, forcing him to walk out. On Thursday, employees held a candle light march to the Kingfisher head office near Mumbai's Santa Cruz airport. In a late night statement, the airline said it had extended the shutdown till October 12 after failing to reach an agreement with agitating employees.
"Emotions are running high now and the management has blood on their hands. They were trying to brush the suicide under the carpet since morning," said Vikrant Patkar, a KFA pilot.
"It is now our only demand that Mallya should come down and speak with employees on critical matters," Patkar added.
A 20-something flight engineer, who earns barely Rs 12,000 a month, has been kicked out of his house thrice in seven months for not paying rent. "I have sent my wife back home to Kolkata since I couldn't manage with no income and ever-growing dues," the engineer said.
Then there is the case of a captain who is struggling to raise EMIs, school fees and other expenses. "I have broken every fixed deposit and emptied all my savings," said the captain. "We don't want March salary we want our dues for the past seven months." While Mallya seems to have time for cricket, racing and even to send in his yacht, he's yet to pay his condolences for this incident, he alleges.
The employees ET spoke to also alleged there were colleagues who were literally homeless and spent their work nights at the Mumbai airport or in neighbouring cargo holds. "There is little hope for many of them," one employee said.
The distrust of Mallya spreads across the rank and file of Kingfisher. Another senior flight engineer complained that employees have become persona non grata with banks, as they seek loans to survive. "No one wants to touch us with seven months of inactivity in our salary accounts," he rued.
With bank loans coming
to a halt, employees are reliant on an informal network of fellow colleagues,
friends and family to piece together a few thousand rupees.
Many employees believe the regulator's sympathies lie more with Mallya and his debt-laden carrier as it gave the airline more time to submit a recovery plan. The civil aviation ministry, meanwhile, tried to wash its hands of the company's labour troubles. Mallya has not responded so far, but Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singhexpressed condolences. Singh, however, defended the DGCAand his ministry's role in tackling the crisis.
"The government has to go by the rules and we have to see what is in employees' interest. In Maruti also, when the management declared a lockout, the government did not take away its licence as it goes against workers' interests. Since it is a lockout here, we have asked the DGCA to see legally how far we can intervene.
http://economictimes.indiatimes.com/news/news-by-industry/transportation/airlines-/-aviation/wife-of-kingfisher-airlines-employee-commits-suicide-due-to-non-payment-of-salary/articleshow/16675781.cms?curpg=2Many employees believe the regulator's sympathies lie more with Mallya and his debt-laden carrier as it gave the airline more time to submit a recovery plan. The civil aviation ministry, meanwhile, tried to wash its hands of the company's labour troubles. Mallya has not responded so far, but Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singhexpressed condolences. Singh, however, defended the DGCAand his ministry's role in tackling the crisis.
"The government has to go by the rules and we have to see what is in employees' interest. In Maruti also, when the management declared a lockout, the government did not take away its licence as it goes against workers' interests. Since it is a lockout here, we have asked the DGCA to see legally how far we can intervene.
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