AI strike on, 21 staffers sacked

New Delhi: The strike called by about 300 members of Indian Airlines Ltd-Airport Services Ltd (IAL-ASL), working in security, commercial and ground-handling support departments of Air India, entered its second day on Tuesday. The union has threatened to go on with its strike for as long as it takes the management to meet their demands even though 21 employees were sacked between Sunday and Monday.
The employees have been asking for a better pay package, medical benefits and to be reinstated in Indian Airlines, even though IC is now a merged entity with AI under the blanket of National Aviation Company of India Ltd (NACIL). At present, this hasn't affected work at the airports even though the holding time of some flights went up by about 10 minutes at Delhi's IGI Airport. Pramod Kumar, member of the union also alleged that a Royal Nepal Airlines flight to Kathmandu was delayed by about three hours on Monday due to the strike.
AI officials have clarified that the strike is completely illegal and "instigated by a few motivated persons''. "We are offering them a better pay package if they move to AI. Once the airlines have been merged, how are they expecting us to retain them in a company that technically doesn't exist. As security personnel, they cannot go on strike and compromise the security of the country. We have taken action against some and are not going to be bulldozed into accepting their illegal demands,'' said an official.
03/06/09 Times of India

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Categories: NACIL Jun 2009