Nagpur: Labour troubles continued to dog Air India Engineering Services Limited's (AIESL) maintenance repair and overhaul (MRO) depots across the country, where nearly 180 technicians have submitted resignations and others have shunned work for three days.
Widespread Impact Across MRO Depots
AIESL operates MRO facilities in Nagpur, Hyderabad, Delhi, Trivandrum, Mumbai, and Kolkata. Technicians form the core manpower of an MRO as they are responsible for executing work on aircraft. Sources within the management admit that the departure of 180 persons would leave a major manpower vacuum. Technicians are moving to private sector organisations in the aircraft maintenance business.
Assessing Losses
AIESL is now evaluating the losses in terms of man-hours and finances. Each of the MROs has been asked to send a report, according to sources. When contacted, AIESL CEO Sharad Agrawal declined to comment.
Reasons Behind the Agitation
The agitation began on Wednesday after the technicians who had resigned were allegedly not being relieved. They were also allegedly denied an experience certificate. Others who have not quit shunned work in protest.
Meanwhile, AIESL officials requesting anonymity said that recent rules require relieving formalities to be completed only at the head office in Delhi. There is no need to provide an experience certificate as well, because other organisations would take them even without it, said a source.
This development has raised concerns about the operational efficiency of AIESL's MRO depots, which are critical for maintaining Air India's fleet. The company is now under pressure to resolve the issue swiftly to prevent further disruption.
