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Split wide open in AI union
Tribune News Service

Chinks in Unity? Strike being carried to favour private airlines, employees' body alleges Says the company already incurring losses of Rs 20 crore a day Air India CMD Arvind Jadhav's SMS to employees of the national carrier asking them to "persuade" the striking pilots to return to the negotiating table

8 flights cancelled from Kolkata Kolkata: Altogether eight Air India flights were cancelled on Sunday from the Netaji Subhas Chandra Bose International Airport here on the fifth day of the strike of the airline's pilots, sources said. The destinations of the cancelled flights were Mumbai, New Delhi, Bangalore, Chennai, Guwahati, Dimapur and Imphal.

New Delhi, May 1
In what seems to be a vertical split between the striking pilots of Air India and its other employees, the Air Corporations Employees Union (ACEU) today questioned the pilots over the continuation of the strike in view of the threat of a “lockout” and the losses the company was suffering. The body has even alleged that the strike was being carried to favour private airlines.

Meanwhile, Air India CMD Arvind Jadhav has sent an SMS to employees of the national carrier asking them to “persuade” the striking pilots to return to the negotiating table and work to “save our airline”.

Jadhav said the Indian Commercial Pilots’ Association had struck “work illegally for pay increase and parity, thus, threatening our survival”. “Risking our airline’s survival at this time is criminal,” he said, adding that “all actions against which the pilots were agitating against had happened many years ago for which the current administration could not be held responsible”.

“In order to save our airline, I appeal to you to cooperate and persuade our pilot friends to return to work and discussions. Let us start afresh,” Jadhav stated in the SMS. The strike by Air India pilots was into its fifth day on Sunday, forcing the national carrier to slash its operations to 40 flights from the regular 165.

The ACEU, which has about 21,000 employees, said the company was already incurring losses of Rs 20 crore a day. The airline is servicing its debt of Rs 22,000 crore working capital loan to pay salaries and Rs 40,000 crore loans for the purchase of aircraft.

Civil Aviation Minister Vyalar Ravi had in February this year set up a committee to resolve issues of parity between the two merged entities - Indian Airlines and Air India. The report is expected after four months.

If the government decides to declare a lockout, the pilots can find jobs easily but the larger workforce of 30,000 employees will have nowhere to go. At present, an Air India pilot is drawing a salary of about Rs 4-5 lakh a month and will be in position to sustain for a longer period in case of a lockout. “Given the financial condition of the company it is not possible to give a fat hike to the pilots,” AECU general secretary Arun Malhotra said.