Air-India weighs `leave-without-pay' for 15,000 employees

16 October 2008

Mumbai: A day after India's top two private sector airlines announced massive job cuts, involving around 2,000 employees, state-run Air-India today said it was open to letting as many as 15,000 of its staff go on leave without pay for 3-5 years, but on a purely voluntary basis.

''We are planning to offer leave without pay for three to five years. We can consider it for about 15,000 employees,'' reports quoted Air-India CMD Raghu Menon as saying.

The announcement also comes close on the heels of civil aviation minister Praful Patel's statement on Wednesday ruling out any pruning of staff strength by state-run airlines.

The minister, in fact, had announced plans to infuse Rs1,000-1,500 crore capital into the state-run airline.

Air-India, which employs around 25,000 people, said those who take up the offer to go on leave would be taken back if they so desire, but at their last drawn pay levels.

The National Aviation Company of India Ltd, the holding company for the two state-run airlines – Air-India and Indian Airlines – also clarified that the measure was purely temporary.