BENGALURU: “I feel like the problems of the entire world are in my house. I have to pay my child’s school fees in the next 10 days, my housing loan EMI is due from three months, my mother hasn’t been taken for her dialysis since one month, what should I do?” asks a 38-year-old loader who’s one among the 16,000-odd employees of debt-stricken Jet Airways. Left in the lurch, they are hoping that some miracle will happen, as it did in 2013.
Just about a year ago, Jet’s employees were announcing celebratory offers and goodies to mark their 25th anniversary, and today, they are staring at a bleak future.”My life began turning upside down in September, when my salary started coming in instalments, at times just 10 per cent or 20 per cent, and finally, just stopped in January. We were told we would get our pay, and we waited. It’s been three months and not a single paisa has come, and everyone around me is as clueless as I am,” said Tania Rai (name changed) who has been a captain with Jet Airways for 17 years.
According to the ground staff and some pilots based out of Bengaluru, it’s a worrying situation as they are dependent for information mainly on the media, but now there is a gag order on the employees of Jet Airways, warning them against going to the media with any details about the mess. “We have flown with our chairman and top staff until recently, and none of us had any clue that all this was happening. It was only through media reports that we realised Jet was sinking,” said Sanjeeti (name changed), a cabin crew employee.
Meanwhile, many employees are trying their best to protect their children from knowledge about the situation, but are unable to answer their questions. “My 8-year-old daughter came to me and asked me, ‘Mama, why are you not going to work? Why are you snapping at me for every small thing? Why is Durgamma (maid) not coming to work?’
How shall I tell her that I can’t afford to hire a maid any more and I don’t have money to pay her school fees which is due in three days? How do I tell her that my savings will soon be over and I have no money to celebrate her birthday too,” said Radhika Sriram (name changed), another cabin crew and a single mother.
Jet ground staff, crew worst hit
Nearly 20 per cent of the employees have started looking for jobs, while 16,000 permanent staff and 6,000 contractual employees are still waiting for a miracle. “There are many of us who have been with Jet since its launch. After working here for so many years, it’s like our home. Now, when we go to other places, we won’t really get jobs which would pay us the same kind of money or even treat us the same way as we were treated here. Ground staff and cabin crew is the worst hit as 50 per cent are in their 40s and 50s, and in that age group, no other company will pay them as much as we are paid,” explained a pilot who’s managed to get a job with another private airline.
She said that pilots can still manage to find a job in other airways. “Imagine, cabin crew in Jet with many years of experience is paid around Rs 1.5 lakh, and with that money, you make commitments like buying a house, paying loans, but when you try to find a job now, you are offered Rs 20,000 or Rs 30,000. Where will you arrange money for EMIs? There are many who have defaulted loan repayments, taken personal loans for daughters’ weddings, medical expenses of parents, to support unemployed family members and much more,” she added.