Indian Airlines now drops ground staff for being 'overweight'
Indian Airlines now drops ground staff for being 'overweight'
It's not only the airhostess but even the ground staff of Indian Airlines, which has now merged into Air India, who are being allegedly targeted by the national carrier on issues of weight. Last year, the airline had to face a tough battle from airhostess who were removed from service because of their increasing weight. Now the same reason has been cited by the airline to sideline ground staff as well.
Surprisingly, the airline allegedly did not issue any notice or reminder to the person whose services were terminated as she had became 'overweight.'
Forty-six-year old Sangeeta Garg, who served the airlines for 24 years, was issued a termination order by the airline because she was 'overweight'. After fighting the airline management for more than a year Garg finally decided to move the court and filed a petition in the Delhi High Court.
"I served the airlines as an airhostess till 1999. In 2001, I was shifted to ground duties but on December 31, 2008, the airline issued me a termination letter saying I had become overweight," said Garg.
She also said the rules regarding weight are not applicable to ground duty staff. "The rules exist for cabin crew only and even if they gain weight the management gives them a year to get back into shape. There are no such rules for ground staff," Garg said. While the airlines decided to terminate Garg's services, it allegedly refused to accept her application for voluntary retirement a year back. "The management turned down my request saying my services are required but in no time it issued the termination letter on a very filmsy ground," she said.
Challenging the order in the Delhi High Court, Garg has mentioned that the order violates her right to equality and natural justice.
Garg's counsel, advocate Arvind Kumar Sharma, while calling the order violative of the service regulations and principal of natural justice, said, "The order of dispensing of the services by the authority is without application of mind, illegal, arbitrary and contrary to the services regulations and standing orders and therefore untenable in law or liable to be set-aside," he said.
Justice SN Aggarwal, after hearing Garg's plea on Monday, issued a notice to Indian Airlines and asked it
to file its response by January 22 when the matter would be taken up for further hearing.
