Air India unions want govt to pay for mistakes

Mumbai: Having tasted success, Air India (AI) unions now want the government to review and undo all the decisions that they claim caused the current mess at the airline. They also want the government to pay for its mistakes, asserting that the employees of the organisation did not contribute towards the mess.
The government on Friday issued marching orders to former AI chairman and managing director (CMD) Arvind Jadhav, who was branded "anti employee" following a sustained campaign by the unions, which were bolstered by the Opposition parties raising the issue. It brought in senior IAS officer Rohit Nandan to nurse the airline back to health.
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"Once the government has started providing money, it means that it accepts its mistakes. Now it has to pay for it and take over all the liabilities of Air India. Employees are not responsible for buying so many excess aircraft or handing over profitable routes to foreign and domestic airlines," said a union leader asking not to be identified. The unions assert that the airline's debt of over Rs 44,000 crore is the government's responsibility as the airline's present precarious financial position is a direct result of several decisions taken by the civil aviation ministry. They pointed out that two parliamentary committees have already dwelled upon this fact, clearly stating that the employees were not responsible.
15/08/11 Lalatendu Mishra/India Today

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Categories: Air India Aug 2011