Thaindian News

New Delhi/Mumbai, March 8 (IANS) Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi Tuesday said that talks were still on late into the night with a section of Air India pilots who have threatened to go a strike on Wednesday.

“Talks are still on and I hope the issue would be resolved,” Ravi told reporters here on the sidelines of an event, while adding that the government would not buckle under the strike threat.

“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 (ICPA), a group of pilots from the erstwhile Indian Airlines, now merged with flag carrier Air India, had served notice Feb 23 for striking work March 9, an official said.

A senior ICPA member told IANS from Mumbai that the association was in the final stages of taking a decision on the strike and that senior members were being consulted on the issue.

The association claims that there were differences in salaries and working conditions of pilots of Indian Airlines and Air India and that the management has violated the memorandum of settlement signed in November 2009 on implementing the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations.

“We have served the notice (more than) 14 days before as per Section 22 of the Industrial Disputes Act. We will strike work March 9,” ICPA General Secretary Captain Rishabh Kapoor said.

The ICPA is also demanding payment of arrears since the date of merger of the two airlines in 2007. The ICPA represents some 800 pilots of the erstwhile Indian Airlines.

Meanwhile, Air India has said that all efforts are on to stave-off the strike.

“Talks are on and we are trying our best to stave-off the strike. All our efforts are currently concentrated towards it,” a senior Air India official told IANS.

Earlier, talks between Ravi and and ICPA failed to break the deadlock on Monday.

“I patiently heard what the association had to tell me. They raised some immediate concerns which I will take up with my secretary and management soon,” Ravi had told reporters here after the meeting.

The cash-strapped airline had reported a decrease in its net loss for fiscal 2009-10 — at Rs.5,551 crore against a net loss of Rs.7,189 crore in fiscal 2008-09.

The central government had infused Rs.2,000 crore of fresh equity in the flag-carrier last year in two instalments of Rs.800 crore and Rs.1,200 crore.

Finance Minister Pranab Mukherjee, in his 2011-12 budget, had said: “As a part of the process for financial restructuring of National Aviation Company of India Limited, an amount of Rs.1,200 crore has been provided.”