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Home  >  Air India • Law In Travel  >  Air India Bans Employees From Posting Criticism On Social Media
Air IndiaLaw In Travel

Air India Bans Employees From Posting Criticism On Social Media

Matthew Klint Posted onMarch 19, 2021March 19, 2021 5 Comments

Unions representing Air India employees have promised to lodge a challenge to Air India’s social media policy, which prohibits all employees–even retired ones–from posting any critical information or opinion on social media that may reflect poorly against Air India.

Air India Faces Employee Pushback Over Social Media Ban

Air India has introduced a social media policy which calls upon employees to desist from posting any personal views “contradicting” the company’s message or “on policy matters related to the aviation sector.”

NDTV reports that the Air India-Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association (ICPA) wrote to the Air India Chairman on Thursday to protest enforcement of this policy:

“At the outset, we note with alarm that such a Policy introduced by Air India is entirely illegal and with no basis in law whatsoever. By way of the Policy, Air India has effectively imposed a blanket ban or prohibition on the use of social or digital media by all its employees, including those that have superannuated.”

The ban applies whether employees are on duty or off-duty and whether they are using company-issued devices or their own devices. It even applies to retired employees drawing pensions from Air India. According to the pilot’s union, this is not an oversight, but the policy explicitly includes “content uploaded through personal devices.”

Air India employees contend that the policy violates their fundamental right of freedom of speech and expression, guaranteed under Article 19(1)(a) of the Indian Constitution and does not fall under an exception in Article 19(2) (“in the interests of…public order.”)

Air India is a “state instrumentality” under Article 12 of the Constitution, meaning speech restrictions carry even more heightened scrutiny.

While many Indian news outlets have reported that the new policy represents a total ban on all social media use, the ban is narrower to encompass only issues directly impacting Air India.

I am not sufficiently versed in the Indian constitution to be able to address the legality of the new policy, but Air India’s move to insulate itself from criticism is not without precedent.

Like in every case of an airline trying to control employee behavior on social media, a lack of clear standards leave employees guessing and creates a culture of fear.

Should Air India move forward with this policy and expect to legitimately enforce it, it must make clear what constitutes a contradiction to the company message.

CONCLUSION

Policies intended to restrict social media use are inherently suspect and Air India is rightfully facing pushback from its employees. Whether or not this new policy is implemented and enforced, Air India workers are wholly reasonable in expecting that standards of proper behavior concerning work-related issues be clearly delineated. As of now, it appears that is not the case.

What are your thoughts on the Air India social media ban?


> Read More: United Airlines Warns Employees Over Social Media Use


image: Air India

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About Author

Matthew Klint

Matthew is an avid traveler who calls Los Angeles home. Each year he travels more than 200,000 miles by air and has visited more than 135 countries. Working both in the aviation industry and as a travel consultant, Matthew has been featured in major media outlets around the world and uses his Live and Let's Fly blog to share the latest news in the airline industry, commentary on frequent flyer programs, and detailed reports of his worldwide travel.

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5 Comments

  1. Journeying John Reply
    March 19, 2021 at 10:05 am

    BA (aka #BestAvoided) have had such a policy in place for years AND have in the past year extended that to threaten passengers who criticise with being expelled from the frequent flyer programme. I guess if you won’t fix the service, censorship is a rational choice.

  2. GUWonder Reply
    March 19, 2021 at 12:55 pm

    It’s India. A country that will deny Indian visas and even pull OCI status — and wants to start denying Indian passports too — on the basis of nothing more than social media postings critical of the Indian government. A country that even has criminalized donations to Amnesty International and other well-established international NGOs.

    Sadly, India is going the way of Turkey and Hungary in becoming less free and turning into electoral authoritarian regimes where the rulers paint all criticism of their right-wing ruling establishment as being “anti-national” or worse. Being hostile to social media that isn’t playing the part of right-wing cheerleading is unwelcome in such lands.

  3. GUWonder Reply
    March 19, 2021 at 12:58 pm

    Being hostile to social media that isn’t playing the part of right-wing cheerleading is part of such lands being what they are.

  4. 747always Reply
    March 20, 2021 at 3:37 am

    Typical actions of that proto fascist PM of India. The sad thing is the RSS Isactually a bunch of cowards

  5. Pingback: Expedia Reps Dance On The Ashes Of Their Loyalty Program - View from the Wing

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