At the AGM, the Kingfisher Airlines chairman avoids meeting the employees who were there to demand the release of their salaries for the last 14 months.
If non-payment of salary for the last 14 months was not enough, the handful of Kingfisher airlines employees who had turned up the airlines Annual General Meet (AGM) were blamed for the airlines woes.
Kingfisher airlines chairman Vijay Mallya is said to have told shareholders in the AGM which met on Tuesday in the city that if it was not for the employees the airline licence would not have been suspended by the Directorate General of Civil Aviation (DGCA).
The beleaguered airlines which has not been operational for a year now was stripped of its license as a scheduled carrier after the airline employees went on strike demanding their salaries and after it failed to come up with a concrete resumption plan before the DGCA.
About 20 employees comprising pilots and engineers who had come for the AGM hoping to draw the king of good times’ attention and get their dues released could not meet him.
The only time the employees and Mallya made eye contact was at the dining hall of the auditorium where he had lunch along with other Board members.
Even as Mallya and other Board members had their meal on a ‘reserved’ table, the employees were given food coupons and had to be content with a buffet that was arranged for the shareholders.
As Mallya walked out of the dining hall to the auditorium to convene the AGM his personal security guards cordoned off everyone including the employees who wanted to have a word with him. “What’s up,” asked Mallya and left for the AGM.
Meanwhile the employees who wanted to enter the auditorium were stopped by the guards. However, a couple of them who are also shareholders got to attend the meet.
Later, they conveyed to their colleagues what they heard inside where Mallya had blamed them for the suspension of the airlines licence.
After almost waiting for three hours the airline, CEO Sanjay Aggarwal had a chat with them and is said to have promised that the airline would will file an application at the High Court seeking permission to release at least one month’s salary to the employees.
Huge debt
With an accumulated losses of Rs16,023 crore and a negative net worth of Rs12,919.81 crore, the airline has a debt of Rs8,000 crore from a consortium of 14 banks, aircraft leasing firms, airportoperators, state-run oil marketing firms and other vendors.
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