Thaindian News

New Delhi, Sep 29 (IANS) Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel Tuesday assured striking Air India pilots that any decision regarding wage cuts would be taken only after consulting them, but the agitators were in no mood to relent.
“We are not convinced by what the minister has said. He has been misguided by our CMD (Air India chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav),” said V.K Bhalla, a senior executive pilot.

“Pilots and other employees have not got their PLI (productivity linked incentives) and other benefits for July as claimed by the minister,” Bhalla told IANS after Patel said Air India employees had been paid their dues till July.

Earlier, Patel had said that only the PLI for August remained to be paid. “There is no reason for any section of employees to feel aggrieved. Most categories of the employees in the airline do draw respectable salaries,” he told reporters.

Reacting, Bhalla presented a copy of a senior pilot’s salary slip, saying:” He got Rs.23,000 as salary for July. Had he got PLI and other incentives, he would have got a salary exceeding Rs.250,000.”

Last Saturday, 180 Air India pilots went on sick leave Saturday in protest against the cut in their PLI.

The strike forced the carrier to cancel 50 flights Tuesday, including nine international flights. Till Tuesday, the fourth day of the strike, about 100 flights were cancelled.

Civil Aviation Secretary N.M. Nambiar Tuesday briefed Prime Minister Manmohan Singh about the continuing deadlock between the Air India management and striking pilots. Cabinet Secretary K.M. Chandrasekhar was present at the meeting.

The Prime Minister’s Office (PMO) had Monday urged the civil aviation ministry to resolve the crisis.

“We do not want the airlines to be hijacked by pilots like the way Jet was,” a source in the PMO said late Monday. “The civil aviation minister has also been asked to ensure a speedy resolution.”

Patel stepped in Tuesday, announcing that no formal decision regarding cut in PLI had been taken.

“I urge all employees and pilots to report to work. The government is committed to seeing Air India flying high,” he told reporters.

The Air India management has agreed to consult employees before taking any decision on wage cuts, Patel said, adding: “The modification will be discussed with the pilots. Management has in its order has clearly said about this. Then where is the confusion?”

During the day, Aviation Secretary Nambiar met representatives of other airlines asking them not to raise fares in light of the crisis and sought cooperation to accommodate stranded Air India passengers.

“I have asked them not to hike fares at this time, and also to accommodate those passengers whose flights were cancelled,” Nambiar told reporters here after the meeting that was attended by Air India chief Jadhav.

After the meeting, Jadhav told reporters that the cash-strapped national carrier lost over Rs.84 crore in the first three days of the strike. Last year, it had posted a loss of Rs.7,200 crore.

Despite this, Jadhav said, the airline increased the PLI from Rs.1,000 crore to Rs.1,500 crore in the past two years.

“We have deputed additional staff including senior officials of the ranks of general managers across various airports to ensure the passengers are shifted to other airlines’ flights,” he said, adding: “We have also opened special cash counters for refunding tickets.”

Moreover, Air India has suspended booking tickets for an indefinite period.