By Shekhar Singh
New Delhi, Jan 29 (IANS) The staff of aviation company Air India, residing in Delhi’s Vasant Vihar area, is hoping to get some respite from the Delhi High Court following the Bombay High Court’s recent order restraining Air India from deducting penal rent and damage charges from the salary of the employees residing in AI staff quarters at Kalina, Santacruz.
“We are now hopeful that we too might get some relief from the Delhi High Court and our salaries won’t be deducted,” an AI employee said on the condition of anonymity.
The AI employees and the airline have been at loggerheads over vacating the quarters since last year. The 116 petitioners and residents of Air India Colony pleas will be heard on January 31 in Delhi High Court.
“I had received a notice on December 29, 2022 regarding eviction from the residential colony and deduction of salary. Just two days after the notice from AI, Rs 1,20,000 were cut from December salary leaving me with not enough money even to run my house,” she said.
“They even did not give us 14 days’ time after the notice as they knew we might knock on the doors of court against their notice,” said another AI employee.
The notice or letter, a copy of which is with IANS, sent to Air India employees residing in Air India Colony at Kalina, Mumbai and Delhi’s Vasant Vihar, said a fine of Rs 15 lakh and Rs 10 lakh, respectively, will be deducted from their salaries and others.
“In addition, you are also liable to pay damage charges of Rs 15/10 lakh. Any liable charges, penal rent or damage charges would be recovered from salary/retirement/service benefits and any financial benefits accrued or likely to accrue in future, including JDC arrear admissible to you,” the letter read.
The employees, who have not vacated their flats since August 2022, have had their salaries deducted since that month and it will continue till they vacate the properties.
The Ministry of Civil Aviation (MoCA) sent a letter to Air India, conveying that those not vacating their accommodations will have to pay the monthly rent at twice the market rate, in addition to the fine.
“Hence, in terms of the letter dated 29.9.2021 of the Ministry of Civil Aviation, it has been decided to levy the penal rent equivalent to the sum of normal occupancy charges and double the market rent for the period of your unauthorised stay w.e.f, 01.08.2022 till date or till you vacate the company accommodation @ Rs 64,000 per month, which
will be recovered from your salary / other dues, payable to you,” read the AI notice to its employees.
The residents claim that though airlines have been bought by the Talace Private Limited, a Special-Purpose Vehicle of Tata Sons, it is still working on government directions. “Why isn’t the company supporting us? Instead they are transferring or giving punishment
postings to us,” said a resident of the colony which houses the company’s cabin crew members, pilots, engineers and other staff.
In January 2022, Tata took over Air India, and around 800 families of the employees living in the colony were told to vacate their homes. The employees living in society in Mumbai’s Kalina faced the same direction as well.
The airline staff quarters were not part of the privatisation deal and was transferred to Air India Asset Holding Ltd, a government-owned special purpose vehicle set up to handle non-core assets and 75 per cent of Air India’s debt.
The Bombay High Court while hearing petitions filed last year by All India Service Engineers Association, Aviation Industry Employees Guild and Air Corporation Employees Union on Friday had said that the AI shall also not deduct penal rent and damage charges till the next date which is February 22.
–IANS
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