The Union Government of India on 1 June 2012 announced to constitute
an implementation panel to look into the ways of implementing the
Dharmadhikari committee report on Air India and earstwhile Indian
Airlines merger. The implementation panel will suggest the government of
ways to implement the recommendations of Dharmadhikari Committee on
issues including pay, allowances and career progression structure.
The implementation committee will submit its report within 45 days of
its constitution. The committee will also be given the task of ‘level
mapping’ of employees of Air India and erstwhile Indian Airlines.
The four-member Dharmadhikari committee on integration of nearly
29000 employees of Air India and Indian Airlines was headed by former
Supreme Court judge Justice D. M. Dharmadhikari. The committee had
submitted its report in January 2012. The committee had consulted all
the concerned parties including pilots and management staffs before
submitting its findings. The committee was constituted in March 2011.
Some of the major recommendations of Dharmadhikari committee are as follows:
• Air India should continue to maintain two separate lines of
seniority for pilots belonging to the pre-merger Indian Airlines and Air
India
• Pilots of both erstwhile carriers must be allowed to fly aircraft of all types
• A 10-15 per cent salary cut for pilots and engineers to bring their salaries on par with industry standards
• Uniform salaries for both sets of pilots
•
Cross-utilisation of pilots, which means Indian Airlines pilots can fly
Dreamliners, and Air India pilots can fly Airbus aircraft after
obtaining requisite endorsements and training
The Government of India in 2007 announced the merger of Air India
with Indian Airlines. Subsequently a new company called the National
Aviation Company of India Limited (NACIL) was established, into which
both Air India (along with Air India Express) and Indian Airlines (along
with Alliance Air) was merged. On 27 February 2011, Air India and
Indian Airlines merged along with their subsidiaries to form Air India
Limited. The merger did not go down well with the national carrier as it
got trapped under a huge debt of 10 billion dollar. Besides the post
merger days have also been marred with the reports of controversies and
rifts among the management. The pilots of Air India have been on
indefinite strike since 8 May 2012.
