Patel assuages AI, Indian staff fears on merger

New Delhi: With Civil Aviation minister Praful Patel making it abundantly clear that he wants the proposed merger of national carriers Air India and Indian to go through before the end of the current fiscal, his ministry, in a confidence-building exercise, has asked the top management of both the airlines to circulate a detailed note on the proposed merger to every single employee of theirs.
The integration of the workforce of both the airlines being a major area of concern, the note is primarily aimed at explaining the rationale behind the proposed merger and the benefits it will result in for both the carriers.
Significantly, the note explicitly reiterates the government’s earlier stated stand that the merger will not lead to any “retrenchment of personnel” and that “a fair and objective approach to handling people’s concerns will be adopted”. The ministry has further tried to assure employees of both the carriers that the merger process will be tailored in way so as to ensure that it protects the “remuneration, perquisites and status of all the employees”.
31/10/06 Raghvendra Rao/Indian Express

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