Aviation engineers call indefinite strike from Sept 19 over pay, promotions, ‘contractual exploitation’

The All India Aircraft Maintenance Engineering Union (AIAMEU) has issued a strike notice effective September 19, accusing Air India Engineering Services Limited (AIESL) of eroding job security, suppressing promotions and altering official committee recommendations in a bid to sideline permanent employment.

The notice, served to AIESL’s Chief Executive Officer on Thursday, declares that engineers and technicians, who form the backbone of the country’s largest aircraft maintenance and repair organisation, will go on an indefinite strike unless their demand for regularisation is addressed.

The union has alleged that the company’s reliance on fixed-term contracts has reached alarming levels, leaving critical safety-linked work in the hands of staff denied the pay, promotions and benefits of permanent workers.

“The right to protest and strike is protected under the Constitution. This decision has become inevitable due to the continued failure of AIESL management to implement the recommendations of the committee formed on May 2, 2025. Not only was the report ignored, but it was altered without our knowledge and forged signatures of union representatives were used,” the union wrote in its letter.

Union representatives said the situation had become untenable. Highly skilled aircraft technicians, many of whom ensure that fleets meet the strictest safety standards, are employed on fixed-term contracts with lower allowances and medical benefits than permanent staff, despite having equivalent qualifications and responsibilities. The disparity has led to mass resignations, threatening the stability of the company itself, the union claimed.

At the heart of the protest are allegations that the promotion policy was secretly downgraded. Under earlier norms, senior technicians could move up to master technician posts in two years. After a board meeting in September 2023, later communicated in January 2025, the timeline was quietly extended to three years without disclosure to affected employees. “The management downgraded the policy in secret and kept it hidden from staff, denying them fair progression,” the union alleged.

The AIAMEU said these decisions reflected the “despotic nature” of AIESL management, accusing it of exploiting young engineers and “torturing” them with a precarious career path despite their central role in India’s aviation safety framework.

AIESL, once a subsidiary of Air India and now the country’s largest maintenance, repair and overhaul company, is responsible for servicing aircraft fleets across stations and bases nationwide. The union warned that its members’ strike would have far-reaching implications for flight operations if management failed to address their concerns.