Air India pilots postpone strike by a week

In fact,Ravi has directed the management not to buckle under the strike threat.

Buckling under governments pressure and some straight talk by the civil aviation minister Vayalar Ravi during the day,the Air India pilots threatening strike from Wednesday agreed to postpone it by a week.

In a conciliatory meeting called by the chief labour commissioner between the protesting pilots and airlines management,the pilots climbed down from their earlier stand. Initially the pilots insisted on a 48-hour delay and management insisted on a 15-day period to work out an interim relief. Towards the end the pilots agreed to the seven-day period, said an airline executive in the know. In fact,Ravi has directed the management not to buckle under the strike threat.

While demands of the protesting pilots related to parity and working conditions are genuine,they are clubbing these with unnecessary issues like free tickets,thereby trivialising the genuine concerns, said the source. Free tickets or passages are already being worked out and a temporary freeze was put so that parity for all could be decided upon,added the source. In fact,the management is said to have submitted an interim relief package to the minister for his approval. The package includes a proposal to allow a fixed salary component for Indian Airlines pilots,which as of now is based on number of hours flown.

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I have appealed to them and have also instructed the CMD Air India (Arvind Jadhav) to sort out all the administrative issues Ravi said.

The Indian Commercial Pilots Association,representing around 800 pilots from the erstwhile Indian Airlines,had served notice on February 23 for striking work from March 9. The union claimed there were differences in salaries and working conditions of pilots of Indian Airlines and Air India. It also protested violation of memorandum of settlement signed in November 2009 on implementing 6th Pay Commission recommendations.

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