Even as the Air India
pilots went on a 48-hour hunger strike on Monday, the Air India management as
well as the Union Civil Aviation Ministry stuck to their stand, saying that the
pilots should return to work unconditionally and end the strike which entered
its 50{+t}{+h}day. The strike has caused a loss of around Rs. 500 crore so far.
“We want them to come
back and report for duty. They have to come back unconditionally. They never
gave a notice for strike. High Court has said the strike is illegal. I don't
even know what the issues are. They don't know themselves. What can we
do?" Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh told reporters here.
Mr. Singh said that
any Air India pilot — who is now on strike, or was sacked or faced action from
the courts or has been referred to an Air Force doctor for calling in sick —
was welcome to join back. On a lighter note, the Minister said the pilots had a
right to go on a hunger strike. “It will be good for their health. It is 48
hours anyway,” he remarked.
The Indian Pilots’
Guild (IPG) has appealed to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh to intervene and end
the crisis.
The IPG pilots went on
a hunger strike at Jantar Mantar on Monday alleged that the Minister was
speaking in one voice and the Air India management in another . “There is a
clear disconnect between the two,” Tauseef Mukadam, joint secretary of the IPG
said.
The pilots blamed the
management for taking steps like grounding planes, which was causing the
airline to lose market share. “The failure of the management to resolve a minor
labour issue is proof of the incompetence of the industrial relations
department of Air India,” it said in a statement.
The IPG claimed that
14 of the 20 Boeing-777 long-haul planes were on ground in Delhi, with the
monthly payments for their parking, insurance and monthly payment instalments
totalling about Rs. 77 crore. “Air India has lost close to Rs 154 crore on
account of monthly payments for these grounded airplanes. Which management
official will be held accountable for the colossal wastage of taxpayers'
money,” it asked?
Mr. Singh, however,
said his Ministry was reviewing all the routes to check where Air India was
losing money. “We are considering even shutting them (flying on those routes)
if we can't improve the service,” he said.
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