The agitation by Kingfisher Airlines’ employees is likely to end as most of them have agreed to accept the management’s offer of staggered payment of three months’ salary before Diwali.
The management, in order to further pacify and persuade the employees into joining duty on October 26, has agreed to pay October’s salary before Christmas.
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Kingfisher Airlines Chief Executive Officer Sanjay Aggarwal in an email to employees said: “I am pleased to confirm that as a goodwill gesture, the company will pay full October salary to all employees and commit to paying the same prior to Christmas, 2012.
“We have received several requests asking for the status of salary for the partial lock-out period and seeking salary in December, 2012, to be paid one week earlier than December 31, 2012.Most of you have already sent your confirmation of resuming duty on October 26. We request the rest of you to send your acceptance at the earliest,” he said in the email.
Partial lock-outADVERTISEMENT
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Since October 1, the airline has declared a partial lockout and pilots, engineers and technicians are on strike protesting non-payment of salary. There is concern among employees that those not accepting the offer may be asked to resign. Striking employees in Mumbai, Bangalore and Chennai have mostly agreed to report to work.
Only a section of the employees in Delhi is insisting on payment of four months’ salary by Friday to call off the agitation.
Six month backlog
Even if four months’ salary would be paid by Christmas, there would be a backlog of six months’ salary by then.
The employees have been divided since the management announced the staggered payment of salary on Monday.October 26 is crucial for the management as the practice session of the Indian Grand Prix 2012 is scheduled on this day.
PTI reports:
The staffers have planned protests during the forthcoming Formula One motor race in which Kingfisher promoter Vijay Mallya is involved.