AI union threatens another strike from June 12

Mangalore Today News Network

New Delhi, May 27: The Air Corporation Employees Union (ACEU), which spearheaded the two-day strike in Air India, on Thursday threatened another such action from June 12 charging the management with conspiring to instigate trouble and later declare a lockout in the national carrier.

 

"Air India CMD Arvind Jadhav is carrying out dictatorship. He is bent on destroying the airline. He is trying to instigate the workers to go for action and then declare a lockout on that pretext," ACEU general secretary J B Kadiyan told reporters in New Delhi.

"This is a conspiracy," he said, adding that the union has served another strike notice from June 12.

In an unprecedented action, Air India sacked a total of 58 employees including union leaders, suspended another 24 and de-recognised two unions which led the stir - ACEU and All India Aircraft Engineers’ Association.

Claiming that the management initiated disciplinary proceedings "immediately after we signed the conciliation proceedings last evening", Kadiyan said "the employees who did not join the strike were also served termination notices".

"We withdrew our strike on a personal appeal by Chief Labour Commissioner S K Mukhopadhyay and in the interest of the company," the ACEU leader said, adding that all offices of ACEU and All India Aircraft Engineers Association across the country were sealed through the night.

"Our offices have not only been sealed but management representatives have tampered with our records and even taken away some of them. How shall we fight the court battle when we don’t have any record? How can we function," he said.

"Our records have been sealed and we cannot take any legal remedy. We can’t reply to the notices issued by the court," Kadiyan said.

The unions had gone on a flash strike protesting against a ’gag order’ on members for talking to the media after Saturday’s air crash in Mangalore and ’delay’ in payment of salaries. The management, however, clarified there is only one general circular and that there was no ’gag order".

The strike was called off on Wednesday after the Delhi High Court restrained the agitating employees from continuing the stir and the government talked tough giving a free hand to the management to deal with them.

PTI