For the Last 4 years Aircraft Technicians of AIESL (AI Engineering Services Limited) it was part of air India before disinvestment, in the era of progress, there are few fields that Sparkle like a star but deep down there’s huge darkness.
In 2017 Air India published a vacancy for Aircraft Technician FTE for a period of 5 years, it was the time when Kingfisher finished their airlines’ operation. It was at the time when the owner of Jet Airways was about to get bankrupt.
The Position for Aircraft Technician, the minimum educational requirements was DIPLOMA, Technical Bachelor degree, Due to huge Unemployment Rate, more than 10,000 candidates applied for the post, where it was written salary will be of industrial standard and no allowance will be provided.
There were so many terms conditions even more than written in chit fund or mutual funds. First 6 months they paid ₹15,000, even after that, in a few regions the ₹15,000 was paid for another 6 months. Employees of AIESL were not known to the psychology of HR.
At the end of 6 months, they gave a bond paper to sign where it was clearly mentioned that we were not entitled to claim anything that they give to Permanent Employees of the company.
At the End of 2018 approx 1000 Candidates joined Air India Engineering Services Limited, the one who got the motive of management, left the company. The remaining had a simple vision that we are employees of the national carrier of India. If anything happened to us, the company will stand with us.
FUN FACT: Whenever an Aircraft Technician FTE asked for a raise they got the excuse of financial devastation situation. However, they gave a lot of the promotion and recruitment of retired permanent employees just twice the salary of Aircraft Technician.
Unfortunately, it was an old wife tell, they never considered us the same. For instance, when an FTE enters the company, he mandatorily goes through all the security checks as the visitor does. However, the permanent staff simply enters the office like it’s a park for them.
The permanent staff of the company treats the company as an amusement park as they have the support of the union.
On bond paper, it was written that we couldn’t form a union. There are so many terms conditions like this. For instance, we FTE (Fixed-Term Employee) shouldn’t receive calls, in off-duty time and if we did, we might get terminated without notice. Even management can terminate FTE without giving any reason.
FUN FACT: Whenever Aircraft Technician FTE asks for the industrial rule implementation, management says we do not follow Industrial Act. However, all the managers gave threats pointing out the Industrial Act.
Since 2018 when FTE joined the company, it was in profit. AIESL Aircraft Technician got the minimum wages possible in a Govt firm. Air India and AIESL are divided into 4 regions North, East, West, and South. In the period of these 4 years, more than hundreds of applications for increment are submitted all over India.
The response of Management was dull. The Aircraft Technician never let it affect the airworthiness of the aircraft. In Private organizations, DGCA gives finding if there are shortages of manpower. But in Air India Engineering Services Limited, it never came as the finding, because Management put the FTE everywhere, from the storekeeper job to the clerk job in some station they perform the job of more than two or three positions.
Even in the pandemic, FTE did an amazing job without any Covid Coverage. At the end of the pandemic, permanent employees got Promotion. The Aircraft Technician of AIESL rightfully asked for a meeting between management and the representative of AIESL, but the request was ignored by Management. So no option left, except going for a tool down. The date was 17th January 2022 when we made a decision, the technicians took their matter to ALC (Assistant Labour Commissioner) in the first meet the management took our matter in a positive way, but after that meeting, they sent their representative who didn’t have any power to take any decisions also he was manipulating ALC.
The delay of Tool Down was approx 15 days under the ALC of India, because of the postponement of our matter and request of representative HR of AIESL. We take back our Case from ALC because they were ready for a midway of settlement. They got no response from anyone neither from the CEO nor from their representative.
Whenever aircraft technicians decide to go for a tool down, they grill us with questions or give tasks like it’s a reality Big Boss Show. In this period till 15th march, the management gave a lot of promotions to the permanent staff who work exactly the same job as Aircraft Technician do. Recently they gave a promotion to the AGM.
FUN FACT: If An ITI (INDUSTRIAL TRAINING INSTITUTE) MECHANICAL DIPLOMA work in any power plant factory in 4 years, your salary will get to 1.5 times high.
It took another 15 days for even the representative of Aircraft Technician to contact The representative HR of AIESL. Manipulation is their tool of management, the biggest and the most effective one.
FUN FACT: Do you know in 2000, the average salary of an Airlines Aircraft Technician was around 60,000 INR per month (INDIAN RUPEE) when they worked for 2 years. While in 2017, AIESL gave a salary to its aircraft technician 25,000 INR per month, even after doing the job for 4 years. They said that they give 35,000 INR per month to Aircraft Certifying Staff in documents, In reality, they receive the same salary as Aircraft Technicians.
Unfortunately, in-hand salary is less than 25,000 INR also surviving in that salary is very hard. Also, it’s not professional. Without any option, that Aircraft technician didn’t get any other except tool down.
AIESL is a government company, the leader in the aviation sector. The decision of AIESL is crucial for the companies. Because of the wrong decision of AIESL management, Aircraft Technician FTE is suffering presently. The competitive companies simply follow the trend so soon that there will be huge devastation of the standard of living of an aircraft technician.
We appreciate the courage that they are fighting against discrimination and the future of Aircraft Mechanics.
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