By IANS,
New Delhi : State-owned flagship carrier Air India Thursday said it would not retrench staff, but could offer leave without pay for three to four years to 15,000 employees.
A spokesperson for the civil aviation ministry said those who take up the offer would be taken back if they wished to at the same designation and the last drawn salary.
“Nacil (National Aviation Co of India Ltd that owns Air India) is not mulling any layoff. We are considering offering three to four years leave without pay package to people who opt for it; 15,000 employees are eligible,” the spokesperson said in a statement.
Air India’s total staff strength is believed to be around 23,000.
The statement comes a day after one of India’s leading private sector Jet Airways announced it would retrench around 1,900 employees to cut operational costs. More than 800 people have already been given the pink slip.
Another leading private sector carrier, Kingfisher Airlines, which has entered into a strategic partnership with Jet, has not indicated if it will start job cuts too.