New Delhi: On Day 9 of
the stir by over 200 Air India pilots, three of them resumed duty on Wednesday
and the protesters said they were “open” to talks with the government to
resolve the impasse.
The Indian Pilots Guild (IPG), which is
spearheading the agitation, said in a statement it was “open to meeting with
officials of the management and/or Ministry at any place at any time in order
to resolve these issues and bring an end to the current impasse.”
An AI spokesperson said, “Three sick pilots
have resumed duty today”. The IPG claimed that they were not its members.
The agitation has led to curtailment of the
airline’s international operations.
Even as it offered to get to the negotiating
table, the IPG accused the airline management of providing “incorrect” inputs
on their demands to Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh.
“The strike continues… We don’t want pilots to
be martyred,” IPG president and NCP MLA Jitendra Ahwad told PTI when asked
whether they were willing to call off their agitation that has led to a revenue
loss of over Rs. 150 crore to the loss-making carrier besides causing
inconvenience to passengers.
Hit by the pilots stir, the airline put into
operation skeletal international services to Europe and North America as part
of a contingency plan.
Singh has promised to hear the pilots’
grievances unconditionally and appealed to them to return to work, saying they
had the “last chance” to revive the “almost bankrupt” airline.
He has also assured them there would be no
vindictive action if the striking pilots came for talks unconditionally.
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