Its technicians on protest, India’s largest aircraft maintenance company hiring inexperienced manpower for critical tasks: Workers’ federation

Mumbai: AI Engineering Services Ltd (AIESL), India’s largest aircraft maintenance, repair and overhaul organisation is engaging inexperienced third-party manpower for safety-critical aircraft maintenance work, alleged a letter sent by the Federation of Aircraft Maintenance Engineering (FAME) to the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA) on Tuesday.

AIESL’s technicians have been protesting across the country since the past one week over blocked resignations and denial of relieving letters and terminations.

FAME alleged that AIESL had hired personnel through third-party contractors for maintenance activities linked to aircraft operated for VVIP movement, Indian Air Force operations and DRDO-related work. “The engagement of inexperienced manpower for the maintenance … represents a grave and unacceptable risk to aviation safety,” said the letter sent by FAME, an advocacy platform for aircraft maintenance engineers.

It sought immediate DGCA intervention, including a high-level inquiry into the engagement of third-party manpower, examination of safety compliance and protection of employees’ professional rights. Employees alleged the third-party personnel were assigned tasks while licensed aircraft maintenance engineers retained signing authority for the work carried out.

According to protesting employees, in the past few months about 180 technicians resigned from AIESL, but their resignations were cancelled by the management.

“The unrest began on May 13 when a technician in AIESL Nagpur on his last working day after completion of 3 months’ notice period approached management for his relieving documents and was refused,” said Prashant Kumar, a senior aircraft technician with AIESL. Four technicians, who had resigned, then sat outside the general manager’s office in Nagpur demanding the documents and the next day similar protests spread to AIESL stations across the country, he added.

“They’re treating us like bonded labourers,” said Kumar. He claimed around 3,500 personnel participated in demonstrations outside general managers’ offices from May 14 onwards. Kumar added that instead of addressing the issues, AIESL issued termination letters to him and a few other senior technicians last week. These were the technicians who had not resigned.

The four technicians from AIESL Nagpur approached the labour commissioner. The office of the deputy chief labour commissioner (central), Nagpur, in a letter issued on Tuesday stated that four aircraft technicians had completed their notice periods and that denial of relief despite completion of resignation notice could amount to violation of provisions under the Code on Wages, 2019. The labour commissioner’s office noted that the technicians had placed their case before authorities after applying to other establishments and completing their notice periods at AIESL. The letter also referred to an “industrial dispute” between AIESL management and technicians at the Nagpur facility and urged an early response from the company to prevent escalation of the conflict.

While the protests continue, AIESL hired fresh third-party manpower in Delhi and Nagpur on May 16 and 17 and also brought back retired personnel in Mumbai, Delhi and Nagpur to continue maintenance operations, the protestors alleged. According to them, many of the newly hired personnel were ITI diploma holders without aircraft maintenance training or aviation experience.