Air India pilots’ strike is illegal, says court; 26 more pilots sacked

Mangaloretoday/ NDTV

New Delhi, May 9:  At least 250 pilots of Air India remain on strike. They began calling in sick early on Monday morning.

 

Here are 10 big facts on the story:

1)  The Delhi High Court has declared the strike illegal. 

2) By evening, 26 more pilots have been sacked. Doctors are being sent to homes of 50 pilots who called in sick. 10 pilots were also fired yesterday.

3) The pilots say the strike will continue till Sunday. The main representative of the pilots, Jitendra Ahwad, said the management has not invited them for talks. "I’m ready to withdraw 99% of the demands, but we expect one step forward from the management," he said.

4) 10 international flights had been cancelled till 2 pm today. At least six flights were cancelled yesterday.

5) The management yesterday derecognized the union of Air India pilots, called the Indian Pilots’ Guild. The union has 250 members.

6) The pilots are upset because they say commitments made to them about promotions are not being met.

7) They also say that pilots from Indian Airlines must not be trained to fly the Boeing Dreamliner, scheduled to join the carrier’s fleet this month. Air India pilots say this should be their prerogative and a way of preserving their seniority.

8) Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh told NDTV yesterday that he believes the government "cannot and should not run any service industry." "The time for national carriers is gone," he said. When asked if the government should sell the bleeding airline, he said, it would have serious repercussions, including a possible hike in air fares. He also said that Air India has 17% of passenger traffic currently.

9) A month ago, the government cleared a Rs. 30,000 crore bailout for Air India.

10) Air India was merged with the domestic national carrier Indian Airlines in 2007 - an unhappy marriage for pilots from both airlines. Air India operates about 50 international flights everyday.