New Delhi: Continuing its crackdown on striking pilots who have refused to return to work, Air India management has sacked more pilots. The total of number of pilots who have been fired has gone up to nine now; six others have been suspended.
As the strike by 800 pilots enters its fourth day, 90 per cent of Air India's flights have been cancelled for the day. With losses amounting to Rs. 26.5 crore so far because of the strike, Air India now stares at the possibility of a partial lockout. The airline's Chairman Arvind Jadhav met the Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi yesterday to consider options.
The management had said on Friday that pilots who didn't report to work by 5 pm would be fired. The Delhi High Court also formally initiated contempt of court proceedings against the pilots for ignoring its orders to end their strike. If found guilty on Monday, the pilots could be asked to spend six months in jail. But even warnings of potential jail time could not persuade the striking pilots to return to work.
At the heart of the battle is the issue of how much pilots are paid. "We are more than willing to go to jail. Nearly 31,000 Air India employees will also be ready to court arrest because we are serious about saving the national carrier from ruin," Rishabh Kapur, the General Secretary of Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA). The union was derecognised on Monday by the airline's management.
The management has said it may invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act (ESMA) in the next few days. The pilots, on the other hand, want a CBI probe into the "massive corruption" in the airline under the leadership of Chairman and Managing Director Arvind Jadhav.
30/04/11 NDTV
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