Indian mergers
"if im not mistaken, jet airways and kingfisher merged a short while ago."
Both airlines were involved in mergers - but not with each other; Jet acquired Sahara, which became Jet's low cost subsidiary, JetLite. Kingfisher merged with Air Deccan, which was a low cost carrier.
I may be naive in saying this, but is there not Indian legislation covering this? I recall that Air India FEs went on strike a few years back and there were not dismissals (although I appreciate that AI is a state owned company). Surely, even if there is not legislation, Jet must realise that it cannot behave in this way and that the further sackings only exacerbates the situation, rather than bringing it to a conclusion. Good luck to the 9W pilots in getting through this, but it's sad that this can happen in a democracy in this day and age.