Left in lurch by Vijay Mallya, Kingfisher staff to decide future action

Facing acute financial crisis due to non-payment of salaries for the past 10 months, employees of Vijay Mallya-promoted Kingfisher Airlines are meeting here today to protest their "total neglect and ignorance" by the company as well as the government and to decide their future course of action.

"We have not been paid since May last year. We all are going through acute financial crisis. We all are gathering today to decide final course of action as till now we were patient with the company and the management in order to help them revive.

"But our patient now has run out and we would now go to any extent to get justice," said a Kingfisher employee, who did not want to be named.

"We are also protesting against the spineless, inefficient, ineffective and toothless law which fails to safeguard interest of working class and its exploitation. There is a complete lack of political will to implement even the existing law. We want Parliament to take up the issue and highlight the plight of working class," he said.

The Vijay Mallya-owned cash-strapped airline is grounded since October last year following unrest by employees over non-payment of salaries and subsequent disruption in its flight schedules.

The Scheduled Operator's Permit, or the flying licence, of the airline expired on December 31, 2012 and the civil aviation regulator had refused to renew it, saying they would have to first clear the dues of their employees.

Kingfisher Airlines owes a loan of over Rs 7,000 crore to the consortium of 17 banks, led by the State Bank of India.

The lenders have said they would soon start the process to recover their dues.

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