Fresh charges levelled against management on day six. With contempt proceedings delayed by a day, insiders say backroom diplomacy may be in the offing
Fresh charges levelled against management on day six. With contempt proceedings delayed by a day, insiders say backroom diplomacy may be in the offing
The deferment of the contempt hearing against striking Air India pilots to Tuesday extended the agitation for yet another day yesterday, with no major development taking place to end the stalemate between the pilots and the management.
Won't tolerate anymore: Pilots shout anti-corruption slogans during a
protest on May 1. The flagship carrier Air India's woes deepened as a
pilots' strike continued into its sixth day. Pic/AFP
"We will present a true picture in front of the bench, giving them a detailed account of the circumstances under which we decided to go on strike. We will stand by our demands and go to jail if necessary," said a senior leader of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA). "We have faith in the judiciary and we believe that justice will be done."
The striking pilots alleged yesterday that the management was hiring aircraft from private airlines at rates higher than the prevailing ones. "An Airbus is available for Rs 3 lakh per hour, but the Air India management is paying Rs 4.6 lakh per hour to a private carrier. Even in this hour of crisis, the management appears to be more concerned about the growth of private airlines," said a senior Air India pilot.
Before deferring the hearing of the contempt proceedings to today, the Delhi High Court bench comprising Justice B D Ahmed and Justice Beena Birbal asked the pilots to resume work at the earliest. "This strike will not see another day. If you call off the strike, we will press the management to consider your demands," said the justices.
Sources from the Air India management confirmed that top officials were exploring the backroom diplomacy route to bring the strike to an end. The management is also taking the help of other employee unions to convince the agitating pilots. "Yes, it is true that the top management is desperate to end the strike at the earliest, and they are approaching other unions to convince the ICPA pilots to call off the strike," a senior leader of an Air India union told MiD DAY.
However Kamaljit Rattan, chief information officer of Air India, said, "We will inform you once the matter is settled. Right now I cannot comment on this." Asked about the deferred contempt proceedings, Rattan said, "The contempt proceedings will take place on Tuesday. We will wait for the verdict. As far as negotiation with the pilots is concerned, it can only take place once they resume work."
Passenger woes
Passengers continued to bear the brunt of the strikes, with a large number of flights cancelled in the city yesterday. 48 arrivals and 41 departures, including those of 10 international flights, got cancelled on day six.
