Pilots warn Jet over salary delay

Mumbai, Sept. 6: With Jet Airways delaying salaries of its pilots and engineers for the second consecutive month amid a severe financial crunch, its pilots have warned the management of “non- cooperation” over default on payments.

The Naresh Goyal- promoted private airline, in which UAE national carrier Etihad holds 24 per cent stake, is facing acute cash crunch after posting two back- to back quarterly losses this year.

While its losses stood at ` 1,036 crore in the March quarter, the losses jumped to ` 1,300 crore in the subsequent June quarter of the current fiscal.

“Withholding salaries, that too without prior notice, is a serious matter and the management will bear sole responsibility for any repercussions,” Jet Airways’ pilots said in a communication to the management earlier this week. “We would like to advice that failure to address the above points and not paying the salaries on time would lead to non- cooperation by pilots,” they warned.

A Jet Airways’ spokesperson said the management is in dialogue with the pilots and other members of its team to resolve some issues including disbursement of salaries.

Significantly, Jet Airways had delayed payment of July salaries to its staff earlier. It had proposed an up to 25 per cent cut in salaries of its employees in late June but was forced to defer the plan following opposition from its pilots’ union — National Aviator’s Guild ( NAG) — and engineers.

“( Earlier) it was agreed that, henceforth, salaries would be paid on time and, if there were to be a delay, the same would be communicated to the pilots well in time,” the pilots said.

“We are deeply disappointed over both these conditions being violated by the management and the pilot body would be sure to share our disappointment,” they said.