29 January,2020 09:00 AM IST | Mumbai | Jasvinder Sidhu
Dhanraj Pillay
New Delhi: The government of India's recent announcement that it plans to sell Air India (AI) has made some of the sportspersons employed with the national carrier anxious.
"Of course, we are all worried about what is happening," India hockey legend Dhanraj Pillay, an AI employee, told mid-day on Monday. "I have been with Air India for 18 years. I don't know what is going to happen next and who is going to buy it. Nothing is confirmed so far. Besides us sportspersons, there are thousands of other employees of Air India too. And there are many who are still repaying their loans," added Pillay a four-time Olympian and World Cupper.
There was a time when AI used to be the biggest employer of sportspersons. Currently, cricketers Yuvraj Singh, Harbhajan Singh and Suresh Raina are AI employees.
While some prominent names like cricketers VVS Laxman, Mohammad Kaif and MS Dhoni have left AI, there are many sportspersons from other disciplines too who are employed with AI. The airline has already implemented a 'no work, no pay' rule for sportspersons leaving many forced to juggle between work and play. Currently, only those players who are representing the country are entitled to get their full salary regardless of how long they are on leave.
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However, this does not include those players who are participating in commercial leagues or those who sign lucrative private contracts. Yuvraj recently signed up for the Euro T20 League (a T20 tournament to be held in Ireland, Scotland and the Netherlands). Harbhajan is a professional commentator besides being a contracted player of IPL team, Chennai Super Kings ( CSK). Raina is also a CSK player.
"Naturally, sportspersons are likely to be the last priority for any future buyer of Air India," said Sandeep Joshi, a former Ranji Trophy player, who is employed with the Air India Sports Promotion Board ( AISPB). According to AISPB data, there are 203 sportspersons employed with AI across various sporting disciplines like hockey, shooting, tennis among others.
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