Salary cut: Jet Airways pilots' union to meet management tomorrow

Mumbai: Jet Airways pilots’ union, National Aviator’s Guild, is likely to hold talks with the airline management tomorrow on the issue of steep reduction in the salaries of junior trainee pilots. The Guild, which represents more than 1,000 Indian pilots of Jet Airways, will also raise the issue of disciplinary action against number of non-management pilots, a source close to the development told PTI here. “The management is meeting us tomorrow in Mumbai to discuss various issues including the issue of 30 percent cut in the salaries of junior trainee pilots,” the source said. [caption id=“attachment_3886561” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Reuters[/caption] The Naresh Goyal-owned airline last month asked its junior pilots to take 10 days off every month (which implied 30 percent salary cut) as part of cost-saving measures. In a letter sent to the junior pilots, the airline said the decision was aimed at “balancing our cost structure.” The number of junior trainee pilots working with the airline is over 200. “The Guild will also take up the issue of demotion of several line pilots in the name of disciplinary action,” the source said. On the other hand, the airline has not taken action against a management pilot who performed hard landing and did not even report the matter to the airline, the source alleged. “We will raise this issue as well as that of freeze on pay hikes of pilots,” the source added. Faced with financial challenges and intense competition, the full service carrier has decided to freeze increments for the staff in the current fiscal year. It had taken this step in 2016-17 too. The increment freeze will be reviewed post declaration of the first quarter (April-June) results of FY 2017-18, Jet Airways had told its pilots in a communication in April. The airline will announce its April-June quarter results in September.