In little more than one year, Tata-owned Air India has rolled out second voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) for a section of its employees. The Tata Group, which acquired the airline in January 2022 from the central government, has this time offered the VRS to non-flying staff.
As per media reports, about 2,100 employees are eligible for VRS this time.
Among those eligible for the VRS are permanent general cadre officers who are 40 years old or above and completed a minimum of five years of continuous service at the airline. Also, clerical and unskilled categories of employees who have completed a minimum of five years of continuous service will be eligible under the guidelines set for the airline’s second VRS offer. The offer will be open till April 30, 2023.
In the first round of VRS offer, the airline’s one of the criteria to decide eligibility of employees for VRS was at least 20 years of service.
Ever since the software-to-salt conglomerate took over the airline, its main focus has been on bringing efficiency and cutting redundancies in roles across the organisation.
“Following last year’s provision of voluntary retirement for permanent cabin crew, clerical and unskilled staff aged over 40 years, many of you have asked whether there will be another round, and whether it would be extended to other staff categories. Today we are launching a second phase of voluntary retirement,” Air India CEO and MD Campbell Wilson said,
Those staff applying for VRS from March 17 to April 30 will also be provided with an ex-gratia amount as a one-time benefit. Eligible employees who apply up to March 31 will get Rs 1 lakh, over and above the ex-gratia amount, the airline said in a memo.
“The acceptance of the application and the date of release shall be subject to management’s discretion,” the memo added.
In the first phase of VRS last year, both flying and non-flying staff were covered. Around 4,200 employees were found eligible, but only 1,500 staff opted for the offer.
