ICPA appeals Amit Shah to return pending dues of Air India employees

Amit Shah

New Delhi: Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) on Wednesday wrote to Home Minister Amit Shah appealing to return pending dues of Air India retired employees and serving employees' earned money.

"At this crux, we would like to inform you on behalf of all the serving and retired employees of Air India, that our hard-earned money amounting to 25 per cent for four years is being withheld illegally. Undertakings by the Government of India and the management of Air India to return our pending dues has been submitted in the Supreme Court of India," the letter undersigned by T. Praveen Keerthi, ICPA General Secretary, reads.

After taking cognisance into media reports doing rounds that "some major and important decisions are going to be taken regarding Air India very soon by the owners of Air India Ltd (Government of India)," the ICPA said that the pilots association is confident that a decision would be taken in the best interest of the nation.

"We are confident that any decisions made would be in the best interest of the Nation, keeping in mind the role the Air India has Performed in all these years especially the past when the nation needed its service for various evacuations, relief flights, positioning of our great Army and the role it is expected to perform henceforth," the letter reads.

A group of ministers-led by Shah has been constituted to look into the disinvestment of Air India. The letter from pilots union comes after the government sources said that Shah is going to conduct a meeting on disinvestment of the national carrier. Earlier, Minister of Civil Aviation Minister (MoCA) Hardeep Singh Puri had said that "Government has decided to sell out the Air India".

The ICPA further said that they expect the government to take the important decisions like to return all the money which held under all heads to its rightful employees prior to important steps which are to be taken.

"We are confident under the leadership of Prime Minister Modi, justice will be served to all the serving and retired employees of Air India Ltd," it said. Currently, the Air India is under Rs 59,000 crore debt. The letter was marked to Finance Minister, Minister of Civil Aviation (MoCA), Secretary (MoCA) and Air India CMD.

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