Tata group-owned Air India has announced a salary hike of up to Rs 15000 for pilots and an annual performance bonus of up to Rs 1.8 lakh. The group has announced that the revised salaries will be effective from April 1. What is Air Indias message on salary hikesAir India has specified a hike of Rs 5000 to Rs 15000 in fixed pay per month, for first officer to senior commander positions, but there will be no salary hike for junior first officers. A bonus of Rs 42,000 to Rs 1.8 lakh per annum will be granted to officers ranking from junior first officers to senior commanders. Air India has stated that it will also give compensation to pilots who faced inordinate delays in their ground and simulator training. In a statement, Air India said that pilots who have undergone command upgrade and conversion training from April 2023 to March 2024 and whose training was delayed due to organizational reasons will receive compensation for the time they spend in training beyond the guaranteed 40 hours of flying. Performance-based bonusInterestingly, the company has also announced an annual target-based performance bonus for the current financial year that will be given based on company and individual performance of the employees that will be assessed using Rise.AI.The announcement comes a month after two unions, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), which represents a substantial portion of narrowbody pilots, and the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG), which represents a considerable portion of widebody pilots , compared pilots working circumstances to bonded laborers. In a letter to the Tata Group Chairperson N Chandrasekaran, they had presented various issues and concerns of the pilots including 70 hours fixed remuneration, adequate rest periods, unstable rosters, botched roster practices, and an unsupportive work environment and so on.
