More than six years after the merger of Air India and erstwhile Indian Airlines, the Bombay High Court on Monday refused to give a stay order on the implementation of the Dharmadhikari Committee Report, after eight employee unions of the airlines had approached the Bombay High Court to review the human resource integration of unified Air India last October.
Former Supreme Court judge, Justice D M Dharmadhikari-headed four-member committee had in January 2012 submitted a report on the integration of about 29,000 employees of unified Air India, including pilots, cabin crew and engineers.
Employee unions of Air India and erstwhile Indian Airlines had however criticized the panel report on issues like pay parity and career progression between the staffers of the two erstwhile carriers.
During October 2013, eight employee unions of Air India and erstwhile Indian Airlines had approached the Bombay High Court to review the human resource integration ? relating to issues such as seniority, performance-linked incentive and salary package ? of unified Air India.
The Court on Monday apart from ordering the status quo to be maintained on the implementation of the Dharmadhikari Committee Report also upheld the applicability of Section 9A of Industrial Dispute Act in this matter. According to Section 9A of Industrial Dispute Act, No employer, who proposes to effect any change in the conditions of service applicable to any workman in respect of any matter specified in the Fourth Schedule, shall effect such change without giving to the workmen likely to be affected by such change a notice in the prescribed manner of the nature of the change proposed to be effected.
