The Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) and Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) jointly disclosed the information, dropped their opposition, and informed their members that they were free to accept any new salary agreements presented by the new Tata group administration of Air India.Reportedly the decision was taken by 80 percent of the members voted in favour of signing the new wage agreement.In a letter addressed to their members, the two unions said: “As dedicated Air Indians, we believe it is crucial to express our readiness to settle the dispute at hand and find an amicable resolution for the benefit of both parties.”The letter further read, “Over the past year, our attempts to resolve have been hindered by a lack of cooperation from the management. Their unwillingness to address our concerns and apathetic attitude has resulted in a prolonged stalemate and escalating tensions.”Reportedly, the Tata Group-owned Air India, last month announced the new salary structure for the pilots and cabin crew but the staff was not satisfied with the revisions in the scale. The main complaint was about the promotion of the captains with more than four years of experience in management.The management of Air India stated that they notified the revision of their employment contracts and revised compensation for flying crew in April while communicating the same to the employees.The contract that was sent, according to the airline, is a compendium of all applicable policies and existing regulations. When there are variances, modifications are made to establish a performance and merit-based culture, as would be expected of any top-tier, expertly managed-airline.The airlines management also stated that throughout the previous year, they had been made aware of the worries of the flying community through a variety of forums and ongoing communication.The airline added that Air India has some of the highest-flying allowance rates in the Indian aviation sector, with even higher rates for hours over 40. To promote fairness, there was previously a difference in flying rates for pilots with the same rank.They have added extra pay that wasnt previously available for command upgrade and conversation training courses. No service incentive existed to acknowledge the efforts of experienced staff. A fixed amount has been added to the salaries.
