Air India's joint venture asked to pay Rs.8.84 mn PF dues

Thiruvananthapuram, July 18: The Regional Provident Fund Commissioner has directed an Air India joint venture to pay Rs.8.84 million as provident fund dues for a two-year period.

Regional PF Commissioner K. Prasant, through his order dated June 19, 2013, has ordered Air India SATS Airport Services Private Limited (AISATS) to remit the amount of Rs.8,845,396 within 15 days of the receipt of the proceedings.

In his order, he said that secretary, All India Airport Contract Workers Sangam (BMS) had alleged that AISATS had not paid provident fund contribution on the actual wages from Jan 1, 2011 to Jan 1, 2013.

The commissioner, on perusal of the books of accounts and the wage register, found that there was some substance in the allegations raised by the employees union.

Subsequently, he decided to conduct an inquiry under section 7A of the Employees' Provident Funds & Miscellaneous Provisions Act, 1952 and heard all the parties on June 11 this year before issuing the order.

The union Cabinet had approved the 50:50 joint venture between NACIL (currently known as Air India Limited) and Singapore Airport Terminal Services (currently known as SATS Ltd) in February 2009.

AISATS was incorporated on April 20, 2010 in Delhi. It does the ground handling at the Thiruvananthapuram airport.

In an email to IANS, AISATS said that it abided by the regulations as stipulated by law and would act accordingly.

IANS