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Air India to test cabin staff’s grooming, frame mass index; unions protest

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By way of PTI

NEW DELHI: Air India has determined to test grooming and measure the frame mass index (BMI) of cabin staff individuals on the airports simply sooner than their flights, in step with an authentic order.

The service’s two unions — Air India Staff’ Union (AIEU) and All India Cabin Team Affiliation (AICCA) — on Monday wrote a letter to Chairman and Managing Director (CMD) Vikram Dev Dutt opposing the order at the grounds that it’s dehumanising and in violation of laws prescribed by way of aviation regulator DGCA.

“BMI is an individual’s weight in kilograms divided by way of the sq. of top in metres. A top BMI can point out top frame fatness,” said the web site of US’ Facilities for Illness Regulate and Prevention.

The order dated January 20, 2022, has come days sooner than Air India’s surrender to the Tata team, which received the service in a aggressive bidding procedure closing 12 months.

Cabin staff, who’re smartly dressed and smartly groomed in step with uniform requirements and rules, provide a favorable {and professional} symbol of the airline, the order said.

“It’s subsequently emphasised that, all cabin staff adhere to uniform rules communicated by way of the round dated November 18, 2019,” the order famous.

The January 20 order used to be despatched by way of Vasudha Chandana, Govt Director — In-flight Products and services, Air India, to all cabin staff individuals within the service.

“Grooming mates were assigned the duty of recording observations at the BMI control/grooming/uniform turnout of cabin staff after they file for a flight or standby responsibility at CCMCO (Cabin Team Motion Regulate Place of business),” she famous.

Those observations should be compiled and despatched to her administrative center, she said.

Each and every cabin staff can be seen or assessed as soon as on quarterly foundation, she famous.

On the other hand, it’s going to be the duty of the cabin manager of the flight to be sure that her or his set of staff are smartly grew to become out and practice entire uniform rules, she discussed.

All cabin supervisors should lead by way of instance and make sure compliance by way of cabin staff always, she said.

Any non-compliance by way of a staff member should be famous within the file of the cabin manager, she famous.

In a letter to the CMD, the aforementioned two unions stated that as in keeping with DGCA’s laws, the BMI exams will also be performed most effective by way of scientific practitioners.

The unions stated that such BMI exams at airports by way of non-medical “grooming mates” violates no longer most effective DGCA laws but in addition “settled carrier prerequisites and court docket orders”.

“We should stipulate that we don’t seem to be objecting to BMI exams, which staff have gone through for greater than 15 years now, then again, the similar should be carried out by way of scientific medical doctors, within the privateness of the Air India sanatorium, as has been the case till now,” the unions famous.

This technique of weighing scale exams at airports “dehumanizes and denigrates” Air India’s cabin staff, except for violating running prerequisites, they said.