Even as the Air India
pilots went on a 48-hour hunger strike, the Air India management as well as the
Civil Aviation Ministry stuck to their stand, saying that the pilots should
return back to work unconditionally and end the strike which entered its 50{+t}{+h}day
on Monday. The strike has caused a loss of around Rs. 500 crore till now.
``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?" 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.
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