Jet Airways has let go of 11 senior and mid-level managers in its engineering department as part of an effort by the embattled airline to cut costs, three people familiar with the development said.
The airline, which last week deferred the announcement of its first-quarter results and has been seeking to negotiate a wage cut proposal with employees including pilots, tapped the 11 managers including a general manager over the last 10 days and sought their resignations, the people said on condition of anonymity.
“The HR people call the staff and ask them to resign,” said one of the sources. “If anyone refuses, he/she is terminated. HR [has] full and final cheques [ready] and once removed, the person is asked to leave the office immediately after depositing their airport pass,” the person said.
‘Performance linked’
An airline official said on condition of anonymity that any recent departures were linked to annual performance appraisals. A spokesperson said Jet denied any lay-offs and added it was “committed to creating a growth-oriented sustainable future” for its employees.
“Everyone is in a state of panic,” another person said. “No one knows whether they will be here tomorrow or not. In the process safety is getting affected and productivity is low.” Those laid off weren’t part of any union and were let go without any notice, the person said.
“Pilots and licensed engineers have unions and even though their salary is very high, no one dares to touch them,” the person added.
BSE seeks clarification
Separately, the BSE on Monday asked Jet to clarify discrepancies in its submissions on the outcome of the board meeting and subsequent response to an exchange query.
In reply, Jet said finalisation of accounts was delayed as the management had sought more time, which the board had granted.