In order to put a full stop to the Month-long Pilot’s strike, chief labour commissioner (CLC) has convened a meeting between Air India management and IPG Pilots on June 18.
“The CLC has called us again for a meeting with the Air India management. This was our tenth meeting today (Wednesday) with the management.Management have not shown any willingness to start talks or negotiate with us,” Rohit Kapahi, committee member of Indian Pilots’ Guild (IPG), told IANS.
Sources said the airline’s management cannot go ahead and talk to pilots belonging to the IPG as the union has been de-recognised. The pilots, however, claimed that their union was legally recognised and that the airline should start talks at the earliest.
The development comes even as the Delhi High Court Wednesday issued notice to the central government and the Air India management on a plea by the striking pilots seeking payment of their salaries for March.
The pilots moved court seeking their salaries for March, as they were not on strike at that time.
Justice S.P. Garg, hearing the plea filed by Capt. Sumeer Saini and other striking pilots, said: “Issue notice to the respondents (the government and Air India). A reply be filed within a week.”
The court would next hear the case July 10.
The pilots’ move to approach the high court came after the airline mulled the option of sacking another 300 striking pilots. Air India has already sacked 101 pilots. It has also advertised for new pilots.
The strike has severely hit Air India’s international operations, with the airline only operating 38 out of its 45 services.
Representing the aviators of the Air India, the IPG went on strike May 8 against the move to train their counterparts from the erstwhile Indian Airlines on the soon-to-be-inducted Boeing 787 Dreamliner.
It’s about time the ministers and management have the courage to step up for talks and swallow their ego. Air india pilots have been wronged by not being paid for six months at a time! and not being given leave which besides being actual time off also is a security hazard!. These are their basic rights!. they’ve been juicing them for years and it’s time to look into making this a more streamlined well managed airline which it was! and Not a bureaucratic government piss pot!
Praful Patel should be tried and juiced for all he’s done to this airline. Not be allowed to own massive property on worli sea face!
Hiring pilots is a massive security risk. None of those pilots will have the experience these pilots have and how will the management decide to pay them? All the senior executive pilots who aren’t in this with the others: remember, your day will come too!- then you will be begging for someone to understand your side of the story. It’s innportant to understand to stand together for collectiveness for the betterment of an airline that you were or are proud to belong to, not savinf your own individual asses.
No Need to talk with the pilots who are on strike…..Once sacked they should not be taken back… They should know the value of work… there strike gives so many problems to the expatriates who reserved their tickets on AI.. It is not easy for us to change the date of the holidays ….AI has to recruit new pilots…Though there will be some delay on training the pilots … in the long run it will be profitable as the salary/perks will be lesser than old pilots of AIR INDIA…