Calcutta airport faces fresh strike

Calcutta: Littered lounges and stinking toilets will again greet passengers at Calcutta airport on April 10, thanks to a strike by some 1,500 contract staff and casual labourers.
The strike by the Citu-backed ground workmen’s union, which has handed in a 14-point charter of demands including pay rise, was finalised by vote tonight. A total of 1,476 workers voted for the strike and only six voted against, a union spokesperson said.
There could be a shortage of drinking water and passengers may not find trolleys outside the terminals, but an official said flight movement would not be affected.
“Passenger services will be partially affected but flights will operate normally to and from Calcutta,” the official said.
The contract staff and casual labourers mainly load luggage into aircraft, clean the terminals and aircraft, and operate the aerobridges and the pump. Some work as drivers or runway bird-watchers, some maintain the conveyor belts and other equipment, and others retrieve the trolleys.
23/03/08 The Telegraph

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Categories: Airports Mar 2008