A cabin crew member with SpiceJet claims he has not been assigned any flight duties for a month after submitting complaints about work pressure affecting his mental health. He said he started suffering mental health issues after joining SpiceJet and feared raising his voice against the airline. He told Hindustan Times “I come from a middle-class family. My surroundings scare me to death and to try to stand up against a giant company like this is the bravest thing I have ever done”
The worker recalled that he sent several emails to the airline concerning his psychological condition and none of the emails was responded to. In his first email, he stated matters such as delayed emoluments and allowances, delayed flights, no PF, and strict working conditions, on behalf of the union. After voicing out these issues, he said that he had been benched and taken off any flying rosters.
Three days later, he was summoned to meet with the Human Resources department but noted that no solutions were provided. He was to meet the second time with the Vice President of Inflight Service, but he did not get any callback. Lastly, I wrote a third email about my mental health, which was ignored by the company. I tried to slit my wrists and again reported this to my supervisor, but there was no reply from the company. I started to post my problems and struggles on social media in different groups. The company then removed me from the WhatsApp group.
Issues worsened when he was outspoken on social media, particularly on Instagram. A video earlier this month said that SpiceJet was not paying employees on time and laughed saying he was driving an e-rickshaw because of the salary cut. Subsequently, to the video, his official working email address was blocked. He also claimed to be a breadwinner for his family and said “My father is retired; they don’t know that all of this is happening. What do I tell them? I feel numb and depressed. Since July 3, I’ve been sitting at home and have not been given any information regarding my job. Is it right to break communication with an employee? HR has completely stopped communicating with me. I am very worried.”
The allegations were answered by SpiceJet who said, “Mr. Deepak Goswami is no longer an employee of SpiceJet. It is important to address the facts accurately, as disgruntled former employees may make baseless allegations to defame the company. This is a situation that can happen to any organisation, including yours. Mr Goswami’s employment was terminated due to multiple instances of grave misconduct and disciplinary issues,
as documented in two warning letters in the past five months. Despite receiving multiple warnings and opportunities to improve, his behaviour continued to violate company policies.”
The airline further said, “Mr Goswami joined SpiceJet on February 4. The last flight that he operated was conducted on 1st July. He was suspended on 3rd July based on his anti-Company activities, he was subjected to disciplinary action. Based on this, he was given a chance to explain in a meeting on 8th July. Following this meeting, he began posting videos in uniform on social media. SpiceJet adheres strictly to its policies, and the actions taken against Mr Goswami were in line with these regulations. Any claims made by him are attempts to gain publicity by maligning SpiceJet, and we will take appropriate measures to address this defamation.”
The employee’s case raises serious issues of mental health as he stated that he had thoughts of suicide and was depressed because of working conditions and lack of support from the airline. His case therefore brings out the importance of organizations to ensure that employees’ mental health is well-checked and that their complaints are well handled.
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