Why Jet Airways? Why not KingFisher? The biggest job loss story in India

It is the biggest lay off India has ever witnessed. 1900 employees of Jet Airways being terminated out of the blue, has come as a rude shock. It is not easy to get a job in the aviation sector which is already seeing a crunch situation. The Naresh Goel-Vijay Mallya alliance has cost the employees of Jet Airways dearly.

One of my friends who work in Jet had also gone to meet Raj Thackeray along with her friends. He has assured them of help and that he would see to it that the jobs would be given back to the employees.

The employees of Jet are distraught and they suspect foul play by Vijay Mallya’s Kingfisher Airlines. Why is it that only employees of Jet Airways have been laid off and not Kingfisher Airlines when both the airlines are facing losses? Though it is been stated on news that only the cabin crew who has been on probation (less than a year) have been asked to leave, employees protest that even the experienced cabin crew have come under scanner. Just two months ago, the top management had given a verbal assurance to the employees of Jet Airways that cost cutting would not affect jobs. Come October 14, 2008, the crew of Jet Airways has been asked not to report to work from the next day.

It is a shame that no written intimation has been given. Most of the employees came to know about the sad news of termination through television. How bad is that! Jet airways employees have been asked to leave with one month’s basic salary and the training fees have been refunded. But this is hardly a solace. Many employees being assured of Jet Airway’s job security had taken home loans, car loans and had given other financial commitments only to be left in a lurch. The case pleaded by Jet employees to let them work as ground crew has also fallen into deaf eyes. The inside story Jet employees claim is the day is not far when Kingfisher Airlines will take over Jet Airways.