Air Mauritius CEO Receives Letter Exposing Major Ground Staff Labour Shortages

The Chief Executive of Air Mauritius, André Viljoen, has been issued a direct plea to intervene in the airline’s ground operations department following allegations of severe staff shortages and “demotivating” working conditions.

In a formal letter addressed to the CEO, a Senior Attendant within the baggage operations division warned of a significant decline in operational standards.

The staff member highlighted an environment of increasing pressure, claiming that ground teams are frequently forced to manage luggage from multiple flights on a single conveyor belt—a practice said to heighten stress and jeopardise departure punctuality.

Gruelling Shifts and Operational Strain

The correspondence details a specific incident on 7 March, where a shift scheduled to end at 11:59 pm was extended into the early hours of the morning due to flight delays.

The employee reported remaining on duty until at least 2:00 am to handle arrivals from Emirates and an Air Mauritius ATR aircraft.

Despite alerts raised with supervisors and the Duty Manager on site, the employee alleges that no reinforcements were deployed.

Instead, the exhausted crew was reportedly told to manage the workload with existing resources.

“Sweet Meal” Dispute

The letter also brings to light a grievance regarding staff welfare, specifically the denial of the “sweet meal”—a night-time catering provision usually granted to employees working past midnight on unforeseen operations.

In this instance, management reportedly refused the meal, classifying the extended shift as a “planned operation.”

The author of the letter described this decision as a “lack of recognition” for the physical and mental demands placed on frontline staff.

Key Grievances Cited:

• Resource Management: Multiple flights processed on single conveyors.
• Staffing: Chronic lack of reinforcements during peak delays.
• Welfare: Disputes over overtime meal entitlements.
• Morale: Growing sense of demotivation among essential ground crews.

The employee is now seeking a direct meeting with management to address these concerns, which internal sources suggest reflect a broader atmosphere of heightened pressure within the national carrier’s ground infrastructure.

Source: Le Mauricien