With the Airport Authority Employees Union threatening to bring services across airports to a halt — calling it ‘non-co-operation’ this time and not a ‘strike’ to avoid trouble from the courts — the Civil Aviation Ministry on Monday treated the matter with urgency. Minister Praful Patel met the Prime Minister apprising him of the situation. It is learnt that the Ministry is counting on the PM to talk to the Left parties who are geared up to throw their weight behind the imminent ‘non-cooperation’.

The union in its meeting with the ministry officials and chairman and board of directors of Airport Authority of India had said that they will wait till Tuesday evening for their demands to accepted, failing which they will start their ‘non-cooperation’ at airports across the country.

Meanwhile, Patel is said to have explained to the PM how existing Bangalore and Hyderabad airports cannot be kept open — as per the demand of the union — when the new greenfield airports become operational later this month as it will be a breach of contractual agreement signed by the Government with the private partners developing these airports.

The union is opposing the shutting down of Hyderabad and Bangalore airports. They have also demanded that none of their staff working at Delhi and Mumbai airports should be transferred and should enjoy the same benefits as an AAI employee. The strike is likely to hit 127 airports as 14,000 employees will stall work.

“We sought three months’ time from the Government to decide our position and to inform us about theirs. But the Government did not give us a proper reply,” president of the union M K Ghosal said.

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