Three days of continuous hunger strike by
the Air India pilots seems to have fallen on deaf ears as 25 members of the
pilots’ union in Mumbai and Delhi failed to draw attention of the management or
the Civil Aviation Ministry to their plea.
The so-called most well-paid pilots of the
world have done everything possible now to ensure that the management and the
ministry at least call them for negotiations or unconditionally take them back.
From sitting on dharna and hunger protests
on roads to sending messengers, the pilots have tried it all, but in vain.Three
members of the union have also fallen sick as a result of the hunger strike and
have been advised by the company doctor that if unless force fed, the situation
will become critical.
The International Federation of Airline
Pilots’ Association (IFALPA) has pledged its unconditional support to the cause
of these pilots and requested for mutual assistance policies of ban on extra
flights, wet leasing or any fresh recruitments of expats and denial of training
facilities to the Air India.
The IFALPA also noted how the pilots, who
were taking part in the protest, have been terminated, the IPG has been
derecognised and ‘in a very worrying precedent, 10 members of the IPG managing
committee have had their licences cancelled by the Indian DGCA’.
The IFALPA will make representations to the
DGCA as it was a clear violation of their role as an independent regulator.
The pilots sought the intervention of the
highest authorities of the government, but are yet to be given a sounding board
by anyone in the political set up.
http://newindianexpress.com/nation/article553777.ece
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