Second longest Air India pilots strike ends

The 58-day-long pilots' strike in Air India, which was called off on Tuesday night, was the second longest since the national carrier came into existence in 1946, after a 90-day strike by cockpit crew 38 years ago.

While the strike by its pilots in 1974 to protest cost cutting measures by the airline after a massive hike in fuel prices went on for 90 days, a strike by Air India's flight engineers had lasted 56 days in 1993-94.

Before the 1993-94 stir, the second longest strike was in erstwhile Indian Airlines whose pilots went on a five-week agitation in 1991-92 demanding a hike in wages and allowances.

This time, Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG), which represents about 450 pilots of the merged national carrier who mainly operate long-haul, wide-body planes, had struck work since May 7 over career progression issues.

The latest strike, which also saw pilots going on protest fast in Delhi and Mumbai from June 24, was the longest since the merger of Air India and Indian Airlines in 2007.

There have been several strikes since the merger so far, with a major one by Indian Commercial Pilots Association, representing the erstwhile Indian Airlines pilots, lasting 11 days last year to demand pay parity with their IPG colleagues.

In May 2010, Air India's biggest union, Air Corporation Employees' Union, and Air India Aircraft Engineers' Association had struck work, leading to the sacking of 56 staffers and de-recognition of both these unions.

During the latest strike, IPG had demanded that training on the Boeing 787 Dreamliners be restricted to long-haul pilots belonging to the erstwhile Air India and not to those from the former Indian Airlines, saying it would block their career progression chances.

Following this strike, Air India management sacked 101 pilots and de-recognised IPG for leading the agitation.

The two state-run carriers were merged in 2007 forming a new entity called National Aviation Company of India Limited, which was later renamed as Air India Limited.

The airline and the government are now proceeding with the implementation of the Justice D M Dharmadhikari Committee's recommendations to address all issues relating to human integration, pay parity and career progression.

In order to prevent any further industrial action by any section of its 27,000 employees, Air India has held and is planning to hold more rounds of negotiations with all unions.

The brand, Air India Limited, had come into existence on July 29, 1946, when Tata Air Lines headed by J R D Tata was converted into a public company.

On August 3, 1947, 12 days before India's independence, Air India carried the Indian flag for the first time when it flew Vijayalakshmi Pandit, first Indian Ambassador to the USSR, to Moscow in a Douglas DC-3 aircraft.

Air India International was incorporated on March 8, 1948.

Striking Air India pilots to report back to work from Wednesday:

Striking Air India pilots will report back to work from Wednesday after they called off their 58-day protracted strike following the Delhi High Court's order to join their duty within 48 hours.

But it will take about a month for the pilots, who were on indefinite fast from Sunday last, to join their active duty as they will have to undergo compulsory medical and other training as per the DGCA guidelines.

"Honouring the sentiment of honourable Delhi High Court's direction, we are ending our agitation and hunger strike and will begin the formalities to report back to our duty," said Rohit Kapahi, Managing Committee member of Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG).

"The Delhi High Court, he said, took the initiative to break the impasse asking the airline management to sympathetically consider our grievances and begin the conciliation process", Kapahi said.

"Though we were given assurance about being taken back by the Air India management when our parents met them, there was nothing concrete on commitments. But the Court's order is binding on both of us - the management and the IPG - so there was nothing to continue with the strike," he said.

The Air India pilots strike was called off last night after the Delhi High Court asked them to join duty within 48 hours and the management to sympathetically consider their grievances.

The decision to end the strike was announced by the Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG) last night after a meeting of its managing committee in Mumbai.

"We the pilots of Air India and members of the Indian Pilots Guild, on the intervention of Hon'ble Justice Ms Reva Khetrapal of the Hon'ble Delhi High Court have started the procedure to resume work," an IPG statement issued after the meeting said.

Kapahi said as directed by the High Court, the IPG is now looking forward to negotiations with the AI management on all pending issues in the presence of the Chief Labour Commissioner, which will begin from July 6.

After which the management has to report the High Court about the conciliation process.

Though the pilots would start reporting to work from today but it will take about a month to resume their active duty.

"After joining, all the 434 pilots will have to undergo compulsory medical test, ground training, simulator training and flight training before being given active duty," Kapahi told media persons.

All these procedures may take 15 days to a month, he added.
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Source: http://english.samaylive.com/nation-news/676507856/second-longest-air-india-pilots-strike-ends.html

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