Pilot Jettisons Crew!
Jet Airways has landed with a big thud!
Jet Airways sacked about 1000 employees suddenly! This made ‘big splash news’ yesterday. The laid off employees [some of them are ‘retrenched’] gathered at the office of Raj Thackeray, an upcoming young leader who is trying to establish in politics. Raj announced that no Jet will fly unless the employees are reinstated. Other political parties and their unions also jumped in the fray. There were all indications of a big battle about to happen. 
Naresh Goyal, the Chairman of Jet Airways disappointed us. He announced within twenty-four hours that he was going to take back all! He said that his management decided to lay off the crew, he was not aware of it! He said further that he was mentally disturbed with the events and could not sleep at all. He denied that he acted under any political pressure. Goyal’s response of understanding the pain of air-hostesses who are of the same age as his daughter is childish to say the least, if not ridiculous.
Retrenchment and Lay off without Government permission is illegal in India, so the action was bad in law anyway. But who will believe that he did not yield to the threat held out by Raj Thackeray?
These scars will take a long time to heal. Communicating with employees constantly is essential. If a difficult situation is developing, they should be warned about the shape of things to come. Catching employees by surprise is the recipe for disaster. In a capital intensive industry the owners ought to display greater skill in handling situations.
In this drama Raj Thackeray has emerged as a hero! Naresh Goyal first alienated the employees. His ‘about turn’ has alienated his managers. Have you ever heard of a pilot jettisoning the crew?
Vivek
“Retrenchment and Lay off without Government permission is illegal in India, so the action was bad in law anyway.”
I am getting a bit confused. There were govt labour officer types on TV saying that these were all probationary people and so could be fired. While you mention, as indicated above.
This sudden large scale firing, everyone claiming credit now for Naresh Goyal doing a volte face, and pictures of the fired people with Raj Thackeray…..there is more to this whole thing than meets the eye.
Will we ever know the truth ?
But I liked your comparison with the pilot jettisoning the crew. In India anything is possible. (Just read about an entire new busstop being stolen overnight in Borivli…..)
I feel during crises Employer should take employee in confidence and jointly fight to survive i/o sudden action.
If it’s cost cutting then employess should agree to work at lower pay during bad period to overcome difficult period.
Thanks Ugich Konitari and Harekrishaji,
Not all were probationers, a good number of them were.
Many other banks [and some other organisations] are also likely to follow shedding staff. I hope that they handle it well.
Naresh Goel is typical of what is happening to our country. Politicians who break the law and their henchmen who actually do the dirty work always get away scott free. There is not a single case of anyone ever having been convicted of any crime done in the name of any political party. The Congress got away with the massacre of Sikhs when Indira Gandhi was assassinated. Modi got away with genocide in Gujarat. Now it is the turn of Raj Thackeray. And why not, when his uncle got away with more than this in Mumbai when it used to be called Bombay. The issue at stake really is the unwillingness or inability of successive governments to govern. It is the duty of the government of the day to uphold the law of the land irrespective of whatever ideology the ruling party follows. To the best of my knowledge, looting, rape, murder, arson, destroying public and private property and terrorizing a section of the population are all crimes under the IPC/CrPC. It is the duty of the Government of Maharashtra to protect the lives and property of its citizens. It is the duty of the Central Government to monitor the situation and render all help that the State Government may need to enforce the law. We are all well aware that if the government gets serious about enforcing law and order it will take only a few hours to get things under control. Then we need to ask why this is not happening. We also need to ask why this never happens. And then we need to stop being surprised to see more and more such incidents happening all the time, because if you are a goonda, what more do you need than a promise of amnesty and protection from punishment to unleash all your base instincts on poor, defenseless people?
In my view there is nothing more despicable and disgusting than a government that preys on its own electorate. That is what we have in our land. It is time we, ordinary Indians stand up and say,”Enough is enough. This is my country and I am not going to allow some worthless outlaw to destroy it.” Remember that we really have no choice in the matter. If someone is pouring filth into the lake then it will one day affect all those who live in the lake. Those who try to stop the one pouring the filth and those who sit silently and watch. In the end, it is not about Raj Thackeray or Modi, it is about you and me. I made my choice a long time ago. What about you?
Yawar
Agree, I for one am now being told my own state (jharkhand) does not want white people anymore for they are now ‘foreigners’.
Aditya
Hogging the limelight seems to be the in thing today, and life in general. Praful Patel, Raj Thackeray, the Shiv Sena(a little too late to enter the free for all Jet Airways fray)- all of them competing to outbeat one another.The issue seems to be forgotten as of now. And of course! not to forget the Robin Hood – Naresh Goyal, who provided immense comic relief in an otherwise sordid drama.
I, for one, surmise that the economic downturn and its woes, and the insensitivity of persons at the helm, is a harbinger for responsible union leadership to emerge. This is not very far away.
Sir I happenned to speak with the counsel concerned in the jet case and came to know that all were probabtioners and that factories, mines and plantations are the only ones who need to intimate the central government prior to retrenching staff. am a bit late in responding to this blog, but please correct me if am wrong.
Aditya
The counsel was none other than your refferal to me.. Part HRM part lawyer !