“If Air India fails to set up vaccination camps on a pan India basis for the flying crew above the age of 18 years on priority, we will Stop Work” writes Air India pilot union, Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA).
The move comes after many Air India crew members were tested COVID positive in the last one
ICPA has written to Al management that “With no health care support to the flying crew, no insurance, and a massive opportunistic pay cut, we are in no position to continue risking the lives of our pilots without vaccination. Our finances are already spread thin covering our bedridden colleagues and provisioning for families lest we inadvertently infect them with the deadly virus that is an ever-present occupational hazard for us”.
If Air India fails to set up vaccination camps on a Pan India basis for the flying crew above the age of 18 years on priority, we will ‘STOP WORK’, the pilots have warned.
“We have gone above and beyond during this pandemic, risking life and limb to ensure our fellow citizens’ well-being. Due to our unwavering support, Vande Bharat Mission and relief operations continue to run smoothly even in the face of a resurgence of even deadlier strains of Covid-19. All we got in return for our dedication and sacrifices is a massive discriminatory pay cut,” ICA letter to the management says.
At Least 30 people traveling on an Air India flight from Amritsar to Rome last Wednesday have been tested positive for coronavirus infection on arrival, while 10 Al crew members two pilots, one of them Covid positive and eight cabin crew, one positive-are quarantined in Rome for 10 days since last Wednesday. Quarantine rules globally have been changing frequently and as Al has the largest international network among all Indian carriers, its crew faces maximum uncertainty.
