AI Pilots Threaten To Go On A Strike Passengers stranded at airports across the country when 1500 Air India employees went on strike. This could happen once again and that too very soon. About 800 pilots of what used to be called Indian Airlines say they're getting a raw deal. They want the same money that their counterparts in Air India are getting - nearly 50 per cent more. For the last three years they have been doing the same job as pilots with Air India - flying international airlines. But while Air India pilots have a fixed salary, those working for Indian Airlines are paid by the hour. A lot of their time is spent in training - so flying hours automatically reduce, therefore the lower salary. What's made the pilots ever angrier are the advertisements asking for new pilots. Statement from ICPA says, "We are being underutilized. For the last three years we have been demanding pay parity with erstwhile Air India. So far all our requests have fallen on deaf ears. It's not a problem with the airlines, it's a management problem. We don't want to inconvenience passengers so we are trying one last time to meet the new aviation minister. If that too doesn't work out we will have no choice but to go on a strike."
Source : 08-02-11 ibnlive.in.com Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Jobs Galore… Coming Soon! As the corporate India is on a mission to fast-track the recruitment process, the job market in the country is revving up, proving it to be the most optimistic nation in terms of hiring plans. Expected to invest $250 billion over the two years, close to a million new jobs are likely to be added by the organized sector in 2011-12. In January, job opportunities in the country improved across most sectors and it is expected to gain momentum in the coming months. The IT sector, whose growth had dived to single digits in 2008, is back on track. Tata Consultancy Services (TCS) has announced that fresh engineering graduates with a good academic record can directly appear for interviews, skipping the entrance test that other applicants have to take. In the current hiring season, TCS plans to make offers to a total of 37,000 fresh graduates. The company has already made offers to 23,500 graduates from 171 colleges in the current hiring season. Come to Cognizant now. The Nasdaq-listed information technology firm recruited 25,000 people in 2010 and has plans to take another 25,000 people in 2011 as well. Aegis, the BPO arm of $15 billion Essar Group, also has planned to add about 11,000 people all over the world, including India, during the fiscal 2011-12. That's not all. Job opportunities are available in various other sectors such as hospitality, FMCG and so on.
Source : 08-02-11 siliconindia.com Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Broke Air India Appoints Expensive Expat The country's national carrier, Air India, has appointed another expatriate for a big job at a time when it is unable to pay salaries of its existing employees on time. On February 8, the airline appointed Mr Rod Butchers as the general manager of the International Operations Control Center (IOCC), which has been set up at Delhi Airport's T3, to streamline AI's international flight operations. According to sources, Mr Butchers has been hired at a salary of $20,000 (approx Rs 9 lakh) a month. AI officials said that Butchers's appointment is a short-term measure to set up the IOCC, which was announced two months ago.
Source : 11-02-11 Hindustan Times Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Firms Eye Gujarati University Students After the Indian Air Force, which recently hired 57 Gujarat University (GU) students for different jobs in the armed forces air wing, it is now the corporate sector which has shown interest in recruiting students from the university. Under GU's 'Campus to Career' initiative, 460 students were recruited for different jobs by a number of corporate giants. Vodafone, Reliance Communication, Pizza Hut, Fullerton and Kotak Insurance were among the nine companies which hired students. According to the sources, the firms have shown interest in recruiting more of the university's graduates. The students have been hired for different kinds of jobs ranging from service associates to senior processing officers. The salaries offered similarly range from Rs70,000 to Rs4 lakh per year, the sources revealed.
Source : 07-02-11 DNA Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Air India Express COO Mr Pawan Arora Sacked From His Position Mr Pawan Arora, the embattled chief operating officer of Air India Express, has been removed from his post by the Union civil aviation ministry. The orders for removal of Mr Arora, one of the three men handpicked by COO of Air India Mr Gustav Baldauf to turn around the airline, came last week. Last year, the airline had named Mr Pawan Arora as COO of Air India Express, Mr Stefan Sukumar as the chief of training and Mr Kamaljeet Ratan as the head of corporate communications — and these appointments were seen strengthening the hands of Air India's Mr Baldauf. Despite a series of objections emerging soon after his appointment, Mr Arora was continuing with his duties as the COO of the low-cost arm.
Source : 12-02-11 DNA Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Delhi Govt Approves Three-Fold Hike In Salaries For Judges Effecting an over three-fold hike in the salary of district-level judicial officers, the Delhi government has approved the implementation of the E Padmanabhan Committee report, which was submitted to the apex court in July 2009. The report had recommended the revision of salaries of subordinate judicial court judges across the country. Delhi Law Secretary Mr SP Garg and the Lieutenant-Governor cleared the file for the revised payscale. The new scale, which will come into effect from January 1, 2006, has already been enforced in many states, and the Delhi government is working out the modalities for its implementation.
Source : 13-02-11 The Indian Express Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Govt Mulls Major Changes In Labour Law In order to make for a work force that is flexible and work hours that can be extended, the government is planning major changes in the Factories Act, 1948. A significant proposal in the law governing working hours and safety of workers means doubling the number of hours a worker can be made to work over time (OT). An amendment proposed calls for 100 hours of OT in a quarter, from the present 50 hours per day. It also proposes to raise the 75 hour bar (including the first 50) in case of exigencies to 115 hours in a quarter - maximum hours of OT an employer can extract from worker, without permission from labour officials. He can squeeze 10 more OT hours, with permission. The law and international conventions does not allow more than eight hours of regular work per day but there can be two hours of over time per day, for which the worker is paid double the normal rate. Another proposal is to allow women work during the nights, which is prohibited now in factories. Though such proposal was introduced in Parliament in 2005, it has not been implemented till now. The labour unions want assurance of doorstep drop back in place of nearest point to home. Call centres, BPOs - where women work in night hours - are governed by the Shops and Establishment Act. The move comes at a time when Indian industry needs more hands to support its expansion and nation economy - but lacks a skilled work force.
Source : 10-02-11 Hindustan Times Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Edelweiss To Go On A Hiring Spree Financial services major, Edelweiss Group is planning to add 30, 000-40, 000 people in the next three to five years to expand its presence in businesses like insurance, mutual fund, housing loan and other retail-focused markets, its chairman Mr Rashesh Shah said.
Source : 07-02-11 Hindustan Times Compiled by Amresh Anjan
More Jobs For Poor In Next 10 Years, Says Innovation Council National Innovation Council (NIC) said that it would generate large-scale employment for the poor, especially in rural areas of the country in the next 10 years. The council is in the process of selecting domain experts and stakeholders to prepare a roadmap for the project. "Although we have already prepared a 10-year roadmap, but the basic thing is to generate massive employment for the poor and to create an ecosystem for them during the decade. So, we need to look at various sectors with people having an entrepreneurial mindset," said an NIC member. In August 2010, Prime Minister Mr Manmohan Singh had approved the establishment of the council with a mandate to prepare a roadmap for the "Decade of Innovation (2010-20)" by evolving a model of innovation, focusing on inclusive growth and creating an appropriate ecosystem.
Source : 07-02-11 The Financial Express Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Tulip Telecom Names Mr Rahul Ahuja As CFO Tulip Telecom Limited (Tulip), India's leading Enterprise Data Services provider, has named Mr. Rahul Ahuja as its new Chief Financial Officer (CFO) with immediate effect. Mr Rahul Ahuja is a Chartered Accountant with more than 15 years of experience in Corporate Banking and has previously worked with Bank of Nova Scotia, GE Capital, Standard Chartered (SCB) and Barclays Securities. Previously, he was the team leader for the middle market business for North India at Standard Chartered.
Source : 07-02-11 indianinfoline.com Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Microsoft India Chief Steps Down Microsoft India Chairman and Corporate Vice President Mr Ravi Venkatesan has stepped down, Microsoft said. Mr. Venkatesan has decided to take up opportunities outside Microsoft, the company said in a statement. A successor will be appointed in the near future and Mr. Venkatesan will partner Microsoft International President Mr Jean-Philippe Courtois to ensure a smooth transition with his successor, the statement adds.
Source : 11-02-11 The Hindu Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Komli Media Promotes COO Mr Prashant Mehta As CEO Online advertising firm Komli Media Pvt Ltd has promoted the current Chief Operating Officer Prashant Mehta to the position of Chief Executive Officer. He will take over the reins from the company founder Mr Amar Goel, who will continue as Chairman of the Board. With this move, Mehta also joins the board of directors of the company.
Source : 08-02-11 moneycontrol.com Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Sify Tech Names Mr David Nishball As Chief Strategic Officer Sify Technologies Limited, a leader in Enterprise and Consumer Internet Services in India with global delivery capabilities, has named Mr David Nishball as their Chief Strategic Officer. Mr Nishball in his new role will work closely with the Chairman and MD to drive the strategy to maximize Sify's global market opportunity and delivery footprint, expand the current portfolio of products and services and drive momentum to become a major global ICT player. Mr. Nishball will also assist in guiding and catalyzing the company through its growth phase by tapping into new global venture opportunities.
Source : 11-02-11 indiainfoline.com Compiled by Amresh Anjan
Citi India Appoints A New Advisory Board Citi India announced a new advisory board to be chaired by Mr Vistor Menezes, former senior vice chairman of Citigroup Inc. The other four board members include – Mr Pradeep V Bhide, former secretary, department of revenue, Mr Anil Menon of Cisco Systems, Mr Harish Manwani, of Unilever and Mr Nanoo Pamnani, former CEO of Citibank India.
Source : 11-02-11 Hindustan Times Compiled by Amresh Anjan
