Thaindian News

New Delhi/Mumbai, March 9 (IANS) Talks are on to resolve the deadlock between Air India and a group of pilots, who have threatened to go on strike on pay disparity and non-payment of arrears, an official said Wednesday.

“Our talks and efforts are going on and we hope that issues would be resolved soon,” a senior Air India official told IANS.

Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), a group of pilots from the erstwhile Indian Airlines now merged with Air India, had served notice Feb 23 for striking work March 9 but late Tuesday decided to postpone their plan till March 15 after an initiative by Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi.

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.

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.

According to the official, the initiative taken by Ravi was one of the main reasons for the deferment of the strike which had the potential to cripple all operations of the cash-strapped airline.

“We are very thankful to the minister and the government for their intervention and initiative,” the official said.

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

The 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 flagship 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.”