Air India Pilots Demand Vaccination On Priority, Say ‘We’ll Stop Work’
Mumbai: ICPA, the pilot body of Air India, has threatened that they will stop work if their company (Air India) does not arrange vaccination camps for all flying employees over the age of 18 on priority.
The Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) said, “If Air India fails to set up a vaccination camp on a Pan India basis for flying crews over the age of 18, then we will stop working.”
It is worth noting here that the body of the pilots wrote a letter to the Minister of State for Civil Aviation Hardeep Singh Puri on Monday, demanding their pre-COVID-19 monthly salary be reinstated. The ICPA has stated that its members continue to be “punished with the harshest and longest-standing pay cuts in the domestic market”.
In the letter, the ICPA said that assurances given by the minister in the past took action against the alleged indifferent behaviour of the Air India management towards the pilots during these efforts.
“However, more than 12 months into the COVID-19 pandemic, we find it quite demoralising that even your office has not addressed any of our grievances,” the ICPA said in the letter on Monday.
The ICPA said that despite the longest challenging and most varied campaigns under the Vande Bharat Scheme, the pay cuts to the members continue.
“Now, to ease our woes, this deadly second wave has forced the country to require a travel ban on Indians worldwide due to the increased risks of infection.”
“There has been a four-fold increase in the number of passengers and crew testing positive for COVID-19, and as a result, the rate of infection has shot up very quickly for Air India pilots and our family members.
“It was already a growing task to arrange timely medical support for our growing numbers like hospital beds and oxygen cylinders and now, the situation is becoming chaotic,” it said.
Noting that the pilots are also not classified as front-line workers, despite being on the frontline from Day 1, the letter stated: “Ironically, we were the first to get a pay cut but are the last to be considered for vaccination.”
In the letter, the pilots also voiced their concern over the increasing frequency of the Vande Bharat Mission flights, which has, in turn, increased their workload and the consequent risk of getting “infected/disabled”.
“If we cannot get the support from management and the ministry that we deserve, the least that can be done is to restore our rightful wages so that if the worst comes to pass, we can provide for our family’s immediate medical needs and future well-being,” the ICPA said.
Follow us on Twitter, Instagram, and like us on Facebook for the latest updates and interesting stories.
