Following is the text of the opening remarks of Shri Ajit Singh, Union Minister of Civil Aviation at the Press Conference held here today on roadmap for implementation of Dharmadhikari Committee Report:
“The Dharmadhikari Committee has recommended 1st April 2007 as the cut-off date for the purpose of implementing new pay-scales for the employees of Air India [both erstwhile Air India (AI) & Indian Airlines (IA)]. There will be uniform pay-scales for all employees of erstwhile AI and IA. For the executive cadre recommended pay-scales are as per the DPE norms and non-executive cadre pay-scales are as per the industry norms.
“The Productivity Linked Incentive (PLI) in its present form shall be abolished. However, it will be subsumed in determination of basic pay to the extent admissible in the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) guidelines. The committee has also recommended profit related pay as per the DPE guidelines, which will be linked to the profit earned by the company and achievements of various targets.
“A level mapping exercise for employees from the two erstwhile airlines shall be undertaken. This exercise is the key to successful merger of manpower as employees of two erstwhile airlines would be placed in a unified pay-scale and common seniority. The guiding principle of inter-se seniority would be length of service in that grade in the erstwhile AI and IA except where the promotion is consequent upon passing requisite qualifying examination or attaining mandatory certification. In that case date of passing the exam or attaining the certificate shall be the determining factor. However, in case of pilots and engineers, the committee has suggested that both pilots and engineers as also technicians under them should be given line seniority based on wide and narrow body aircrafts for which they are trained and licensed.
“The committee has also recommended that the pay of all employees will be protected and allowances will be admissible as per the DPE guidelines with some exceptions. “The Dharmadhikari Committee has recognized the need for certain allowances which are given to certain class of employees like pilots, cabin crew and engineers as per the industry standard. However, they fall outside the scope of DPE guidelines. This would need an approval of the Union Cabinet before these are implemented at variance with DPE guidelines. The details of such allowances would only be disclosed after the approval of the Cabinet.
“In case where a junior employee in the given scale after all adjustments of level mapping and inter-se seniority is found to be drawing higher basic pay than the senior employee, then the revised basic pay of the senior employee would be placed at par with the junior employee. This will remove long standing disputes among the employees.
“There are large number of grievances regarding promotions being not given in some cadres for last few years. Promotions were specifically frozen by the Dharmadhikari Committee in 2011 after which no promotion has taken place. The commit has now recommended a fair and comprehensive promotion policy through the constitution of Departmental Promotion Committees (DPCs). Each DPC will have a fair representation from erstwhile AI and IA and would also include an outside expert. The process of promotion will soon start after fixation of inter-se seniority (which will be done maximum within a period of 45 days). The committee has suggested ways and means to put in place a policy which will give fair chance for employees both AI and AI in their career progression.
“After implementation of the Dharmadhikari Committee report, there will be unified cadre at every level alongwith a uniform policy with regard to working hours, passage facility and all other facilities that include accommodation, transportation, canteen, uniforms etc.
“Cross utilization of all resources including manpower and capacity building on the principle of fair and equitable opportunity to everyone shall be the policy in the merged entity including cross training at various levels.
“As per the recommendation of the Dharmadhikari Committee, an Implementation-cum-Anomaly Committee is being constituted with representation from both erstwhile AI and IA for implementation of various recommendations. The committee will complete the task of pay fixation, level mapping and inter-se seniority within a period of 45 days. This committee will seek the views of employees during the course of implementation of the Dharmadhikari Committee’s recommendations. This committee will also look into anomalies that come to its notice/raised by employees”.
“The Dharmadhikari Committee has recommended 1st April 2007 as the cut-off date for the purpose of implementing new pay-scales for the employees of Air India [both erstwhile Air India (AI) & Indian Airlines (IA)]. There will be uniform pay-scales for all employees of erstwhile AI and IA. For the executive cadre recommended pay-scales are as per the DPE norms and non-executive cadre pay-scales are as per the industry norms.
“The Productivity Linked Incentive (PLI) in its present form shall be abolished. However, it will be subsumed in determination of basic pay to the extent admissible in the Department of Public Enterprises (DPE) guidelines. The committee has also recommended profit related pay as per the DPE guidelines, which will be linked to the profit earned by the company and achievements of various targets.
“A level mapping exercise for employees from the two erstwhile airlines shall be undertaken. This exercise is the key to successful merger of manpower as employees of two erstwhile airlines would be placed in a unified pay-scale and common seniority. The guiding principle of inter-se seniority would be length of service in that grade in the erstwhile AI and IA except where the promotion is consequent upon passing requisite qualifying examination or attaining mandatory certification. In that case date of passing the exam or attaining the certificate shall be the determining factor. However, in case of pilots and engineers, the committee has suggested that both pilots and engineers as also technicians under them should be given line seniority based on wide and narrow body aircrafts for which they are trained and licensed.
“The committee has also recommended that the pay of all employees will be protected and allowances will be admissible as per the DPE guidelines with some exceptions. “The Dharmadhikari Committee has recognized the need for certain allowances which are given to certain class of employees like pilots, cabin crew and engineers as per the industry standard. However, they fall outside the scope of DPE guidelines. This would need an approval of the Union Cabinet before these are implemented at variance with DPE guidelines. The details of such allowances would only be disclosed after the approval of the Cabinet.
“In case where a junior employee in the given scale after all adjustments of level mapping and inter-se seniority is found to be drawing higher basic pay than the senior employee, then the revised basic pay of the senior employee would be placed at par with the junior employee. This will remove long standing disputes among the employees.
“There are large number of grievances regarding promotions being not given in some cadres for last few years. Promotions were specifically frozen by the Dharmadhikari Committee in 2011 after which no promotion has taken place. The commit has now recommended a fair and comprehensive promotion policy through the constitution of Departmental Promotion Committees (DPCs). Each DPC will have a fair representation from erstwhile AI and IA and would also include an outside expert. The process of promotion will soon start after fixation of inter-se seniority (which will be done maximum within a period of 45 days). The committee has suggested ways and means to put in place a policy which will give fair chance for employees both AI and AI in their career progression.
“After implementation of the Dharmadhikari Committee report, there will be unified cadre at every level alongwith a uniform policy with regard to working hours, passage facility and all other facilities that include accommodation, transportation, canteen, uniforms etc.
“Cross utilization of all resources including manpower and capacity building on the principle of fair and equitable opportunity to everyone shall be the policy in the merged entity including cross training at various levels.
“As per the recommendation of the Dharmadhikari Committee, an Implementation-cum-Anomaly Committee is being constituted with representation from both erstwhile AI and IA for implementation of various recommendations. The committee will complete the task of pay fixation, level mapping and inter-se seniority within a period of 45 days. This committee will seek the views of employees during the course of implementation of the Dharmadhikari Committee’s recommendations. This committee will also look into anomalies that come to its notice/raised by employees”.
