Air India’s service engineers lodge complaint with National Minorities Commission

Mumbai: Some service engineers of Air India’s (AI) Jet Overhaul Department have filed a complaint with the National Minorities Commission against a general manager of the carrier who they allege did not let them leave a couple of hours earlier than usual from work so that they could attend church service for Maundy Thursday.
These engineers have said that they, as followers of Christianity, have traditionally been allowed by AI to take these hours off and it is the first time they have had to miss the service.
Orlando Lobo (42), a senior service engineer, Class I, said, “Every year our company lets us leave two hours early to attend the service for Easter. On Thursday at about 10 am I approached my boss, K M Unnikrishnan, with the request to be released early. But he turned down my request.” Lobo is also the president of the Air India Service Engineers Association (AISEA).
The engineers work from 7:30 am to 5:00 pm.
An AI spokesperson said, “These employees should have informed us in advance so we could have arranged for an alternative roster or not put them on roster for this period.”
18/04/06 Naveeta S/Mumbai Mirror

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