Leave Without Pay For Most GoAir Staff, SpiceJet Engineering Team

SpiceJet on Sunday, 19 April, said a limited number of staff from its engineering team have been put on Leave Without Pay (LWP) for a month each on a rotational basis and that no decision has been taken on salary cut across the company.

Meanwhile, majority of 5,500-odd employees of GoAir will now be on LWP till 3 May as its entire fleet remains grounded in the wake of the extended lockdown, the airline has said.

Earlier, sources said that SpiceJet had decided to send employees earning more than Rs 50,000 per month on leave without pay on a rotational basis. The salary for April is likely to be paid to staff for the days they were on duty, they said.

Commercial flight services have been suspended till 3 May in the wake of the nationwide lockdown to prevent spreading of coronavirus infections.

"A limited number of staff from the engineering team have been put on leave without pay for a month each on rotational basis," SpiceJet spokesperson said in a statement.

Last month, SpiceJet announced an up to 30 percent cut in salaries, with airline chairman and managing Director Ajay Singh opting for the maximum pay cut of 30 percent.

Other carriers, including IndiGo, Vistara and Air India, have also taken various steps amid the financial distress due to the coronavirus pandemic. The measures include salary cuts, leave without pay and reduction in allowances.

“This will initially be implemented for next three months (16 to 15 of every month) and may be extended /modified depending on the situation,” as per the communication with SpiceJet.

In March, the Wadia Group-owned Goir asked its employees to go on LWP on a rotational basis besides cutting their salaries.

“The lockdown has been further extended till 3 May, and with this extension, our fleet continues to be completely grounded. Hence, we are constrained to request you to proceed on 'leave without pay' till 3 May," GoAir said in a communication to its employees on Saturday.