PM says no to strongarm tactics, calls for negotiations

New Delhi: Prime Minister Manmohan Singh's intervention in the stand-off between senior Air India pilots and the management set the stage for a renewed effort to end the disruption in the national carrier's flights which has inconvenienced thousands of passengers.
The PM was sufficiently concerned by the deadlock and the possibility of an escalation in the crisis to hold a meeting with senior officials on Tuesday. After reviewing the situation, he is understood to have clearly indicated that he did not favour strongarm tactics to end the strike by executive pilots.
The PM pointed out that precipitate action like declaring a lockout or harsh disciplinary measures was not acceptable. A negotiated settlement with both sides acting in a mature manner was the preferred option. The meeting was attended by civil aviation secretary M Nambiar, Air India CMD Arvind Jhadav, cabinet secretary K M Chandrashekhar and principal secretary to PM T K A Nair.
If the PM was not very pleased with Air India management's response which it was felt might have escalated the confrontation, the striking pilots haven't been let off either. The meeting took note of passenger woes and it was felt that pilots should not indulge in gunboat tactics that have caused widespread hardship. Some restructuring of salaries and staff would be inevitable as Air India tries to reduce losses and improve efficiency.
30/09/09 Rajeev Deshpande/Times of India

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Categories: Air India Domestic Sep 2009, NACIL Sep 2009