PG managing committee will take formal decision to call off
strike by Wednesday
The
58-day protracted strike by Air India pilots was called off late on Tuesday
after the Delhi High Court asked them to join duty within 48 hours and the
management to consider their grievances. This will bring much needed relief to
the passengers affected by the strike.
The
decision to end the strike was announced by the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) after
a meeting of its managing committee in Mumbai.
This,
the second-longest strike in the aviation history of independent India, has
caused a loss of Rs. 600 crore to the Air India management and raised questions
about its reliability and credibility among international and domestic
travellers.
Reacting
to the development, Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh expressed the hope
that the pilots would join their duties within 48 hours, as per the commitment
made by them in the High Court.
“The
government is always willing to consider the grievances of the pilots,
including reinstatement of the terminated pilots of Air India,” he added in a
statement here.
“We
sincerely hope that the AI management and the Civil Aviation Ministry will be
as sincere on their part. On this understanding, we are commencing the process
of restoring normalcy of operations,” said IPG general secretary E.A. Kapadia.
The IPG
statement came after counsel Geetha Luthra told the court that the striking
pilots, numbering 434, will join their duties in 48 hours.
‘We are willing’
Earlier,
the guild had said: “We have been willing to join duty but we could not have
left out 10 colleagues of the managing committee in the lurch as the Air India
management was unwilling to take them back. The management had indicated that
they were ready to take back 91 pilots immediately but they were silent on the
10 others. We wanted an assurance on their fate also, and with the court taking
a positive view of the situation, we are confident things will end smoothly for
all.” Justice Khetrapal heard an application of the guild, which had alleged
that the management had created a “hostile environment” by sacking the striking
pilots and also derecognising it.
The
pilots went on strike on May 7 over demands for better career progression. The
Air India management took a tough stand and sacked 101 pilots, including the 10
office bearers of the IPG, which was also derecognised.
The
strike has resulted in the curtailment of Air India’s international operations.
http://www.thehindu.com/news/national/article3598155.ece
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