Click to play videoNew Delhi: The financial crisis is taking its toll on India's airlines industry. Jet Airways has served termination notices to more than 800 cabin crew and executives and Kingfisher, too, is likely to trim its staff strength from its present strength of 10,000 employees.
The Jet employees who had been laid off have gone on a protest against their dismissal in Mumbai and plan to meet Maharashtra Navnirman Sena chief Raj Thackeray and seek his intervention.
The employees claim they got their termination letters on Tuesday and add that the letter does not mention any compensation.
Some say they were not even sent any letters, but were verbally told that their services had been terminated.
"It will hamper our career and it will hamper our future. If they (Jet) were planning to terminate us then why did they recruit us," said a female employee who lost her job.
"We don't know anything right now. We came here just for this (termination letter). They are saying that we have been terminated but why we don't know," another employee added.
Anger at the sudden dismissal was evident amongst the employees. "No one can understand how we are feeling. They destroyed everything in just a day. What do they think of themselves?" an executive said.
Her colleague echoed the sentiment. "Without any notice they have just did this. My friend messaged and she told me that we have all been terminated."
Another airline that could see job cuts is Kingfisher.
"I have laid off staff. They (Jet Airways) have also laid off staff. We need to be efficient and cut the costs and will do whatever it takes," Kingfisher Chairman Vijay Mallya said.
“We are here to protect the interest of our employees. Whatever we are is because of them. The idea is not to get rid of the people or staff but there are bigger issues to be dealt with,” Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal said.
Jet also issued as statement on Wednesday afternoon saying more employees could be sacked soon.
"Personnel hired for the expansion, probationers and unconfirmed personnel, (who have been recently hired), will have to be released," the statement read.
"As a first step, around 800 flight attendants, recently recruited for the planned expansion programme, which has now been suspended, have been released. We are in the process of releasing personnel in other categories also."
"The other categories include probationary and unconfirmed personnel in other areas including cockpit crew and management personnel to reflect the lower number of flights and seats offered."
"This will cut across all the activities of the Company. We wish to clarify that the reconsideration of our operations has been ongoing for some time now and this adjustment in personnel numbers did not result from the planned alliance with Kingfisher Airlines. If at all, improved economies in other areas would help obviate such step in the future," it said.
However, the Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel has made it clear that he will not interfere in the matter.
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