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Vandana Saxena
Mumbai, Oct 13: Air-India employees have sought an extension of deadline for the `voluntary long leave' and `shorter working week' schemes from October 15 to October 30. The two schemes were launched on September 10.
In a recent meeting with the human resource department, employees said the extension will provide the workers with an opportunity to evaluate the schemes. Clarifications have been sought on several issues like promotions, increments and on the issue of taking up a job during the scheme's duration.
The management, which was not available for comment, is yet to take a decision. In response to the scheme, sources said that over 100 applications for each have been submitted with a major part coming in recently.
Confusion prevailed initially as the schemes were branded as voluntary retirement which was clarified subsequently. Besides the general issues, there are individual problems which need to be addressed, sources said.
The two prominent unions, Air-India Employees Guild and Air-IndiaOfficers' Union, had earlier expressed their reservations on some aspects of the schemes like vacating staff quarters or company flats during long-term leave and payment of the entire housing or other loans.
The unions had sought modifications on these clauses but the officers union was in favour of a voluntary retirement scheme. It felt that AI needed to cut down staff strength for which it should offer an attractive financial package.
The employees guild had suggested alternatives like underwriting by the employee to recover the amount. The staff's provident fund can be pledged as security. Such alternatives, however, can be offered on a case-to-case basis because the amount in the reserves would vary with each employee, it said.
Meanwhile, AI has also given its staff a bonus after a demand was made by them recently.
Copyright © 1998 Indian Express Newspapers (Bombay) Ltd.
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