In a dramatic incident, around 70 aircraft maintenance engineers (AME) of Jet airways reported ‘sick’ at airports across the country on Thursday (7 January) following the airline’s step of sending its human resource (HR) officials to convince one of the AME’s to tender a resignation, reports Economic Times.

The AME, from which the resignation was being sought, was reportedly based in Madurai, where the airline will stop operating later this week. Other sites where the airline will drop its operations are Raipur, Silchar, Aizawl, Jorhat and Imphal.

However, following the protest by the engineers, the Jet management withdrew its decision. Soon after, all the engineers joined work again. The whole incident led to delay in flight movements but their was no cancellation, sources were quoted in the report as saying.

The report quoted a source as saying that the resignation call happened despite a 2017 agreement in which all engineers forfeited incentives amounting to Rs 80 lakh a month in return for an assurance “that they wouldn’t be touched”.

“The HR personnel flew to Madurai and told the AME to resign. If he didn’t, he would be given a termination letter which would be a ‘black mark’ on his career. His colleagues immediately sprang to action, and 20 of them in Mumbai airport reported sick for the afternoon schedule. Others in Delhi, Bengaluru airports too joined in,” a person said, as reported by ET.