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Our topic of this week comes thanks to the financial troubles at Kingfisher Airlines.
The flights of the financially ailing carrier have been disrupted across its India network due to striking engineers.
As per media reports, striking employees, after hearing that some employees received salaries, manhandled fellow employees, beat up a management executive, held passengers hostage aboard a flight for over three and half hours by refusing to connect aero-bridges or ladders to the arriving aircraft.
A statement issued by Prakash Mirpuri, Vice President-Corporate Communications, Kingfisher Airlines Limited, said
A section of employees of Kingfisher Airlines has not been reporting to work over the last fortnight and over the past 2 days, they have been threatening and even manhandling the other employees who are reporting to work as usual. We are anticipating disruptions and/or delays of flights across our network on October 1, 2012 as it is likely that a section of employees of Kingfisher Airlines may not report to work due to such threats. With a view to mitigating the impact of these anticipated disruptions, we are proactively cancelling several flights across our network for October 1, 2012.
As per the Press Trust of India, pilots from Mumbai have joined the striking engineers, adding to the disruptions. Mirpuri went on to say
We are monitoring the situation and continue to engage with this section of employees to see reason as such action is not only detrimental to the company but directly impacts the travelling public and it will be our endeavour to resolve the situation and restore normal operations at the earliest.
Unfortunately, it appears that non-payment of salaries have frayed the patience of the employees to breaking point. This does not appear to be a one or two wildcat strike. This is serious and appears long term.
The attack on an executive is a milder shade of one of the worst and recent industrial unrest in India, at Maruti’s Manesar plant, which resulted in death, as is the holding of passengers hostage.
The country’s civil aviation regulator the DGCA has indicated it will review the situation.
The platitudes offered by Mirpuri, though genuine, may not be enough to placate irate customers
We deeply regret any inconvenience that may be caused to our valued guests on account of this unprecedented action by a small section of employees and we are doing our best to minimise the impact of these anticipated disruptions.
Your thoughts please? What should Kingfisher Airlines now do? Share your thoughts via a comment.
Please remember, our DISQUS comment system also allows you to share your comments via Twitter and Facebook too. In case you want the airline to hear your comment via Twitter (we cannot guarantee they will read them), use their tag @flykingfisher in the start of your comment and share via Twitter. You can also tag the Chairman of the airline, @TheVijayMallya.
