AI turnaround plan stars with staff transfer
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Air India will start the process of shifting more than a third of its employees to a ground-handling joint venture with Singapore Airport Terminal Services on Friday to reduce its staff strength to comply with conditions for a turnaround plan amid opposition from two different unions. Economic Times said some Air India employees at the Delhi Airport would move to the new entity from Friday with staff from Mumbai joining as well.Around 12,000 people will become part of the ground-handling joint venture, Air India Singapore Airport Terminal Services (AISATS), if the national carrier manages to successfully carry out the massive transfer of employees. The unprofitable airline, which looks to focus on its core functions after forming a separate team for ground-handling, is facing teething opposition from unions. AISATS, which looks to take over groundhandling from the airline’s whollyowned arm Air India Air Transport Services Ltd (AIATSL), is already facing resistance. AISATS, which came into existence by starting operations in Bangalore in 2008, has now spread its wings to Hyderabad and New Delhi. The joint venture together employs around 300 people at Bangalore and Hyderabad international airports. Air India’s MD Arvind Jadhav had recently stated that the joint venture would draw its manpower from the national carrier’s mammoth workforce. AISATS’ plan to commence operations at Trivandrum airport last month has run into rough weather with the staff of Air India Air Transport Services Ltd (AIATSL) asking the state chief minister to immediately intervene in the issue as the staff have complained about reporting for duty under a foreign agency. Air India currently has three different unions representing its ground-handling services and the management has yet to arrive at a consensus with the unions.
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