Air India pilots call off agitation

New Delhi: A section of Air India’s executive pilots, who were on strike for the past four days, called off their agitation on Wednesday.
The move comes a day after the government promised to keep the decision to slash their Productivity Linked Incentive (PLI) and allowances in abeyance. The agitating pilots were also given a stern warning by the management to resume their duties or face action.
“The strike has been called off in view of the assurance given by Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel that status quo will continue on the issues raised by us,” Capt. V.K. Bhalla, representative of the protesting executive pilots, told reporters here.
Air India’s Executive Director Jitendra Bhargava said in Mumbai that normal operations of the carrier would be restored by Wednesday night on international flights and by Thursday morning on the domestic sectors. About 200 pilots reported sick to protest against the airline’s September 24 decision to cut their PLI by up to 50 per cent.
The agitation led to the cancellation of some 240 flights over the past four days and an estimated loss of about Rs. 100 crore to the cash-strapped airline.
Mr. Patel said the Ministry stood by the management’s September 27 order, which modified the earlier order of September 24 that proposed a cut in the PLI of executive pilots and announced formation of the committee.
30/09/09 The Hindu

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Categories: Air India Domestic Sep 2009, NACIL Sep 2009