New Delhi: As the strike called by protesting Air India pilots entered its second day today, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said the pilots have not approached him with their concerns yet. Terming the strike illegal, the minister added that while the government is trying to bail out the national carrier, he expects the pilots to cooperate and be responsible.
"The action they have taken is not justified. They have inconvenienced passengers and compromised the credibility of Air India. Pilots are the most powerful, highest-paid employees in any airline. But with that power, they should have responsibility also. It's not just their job. The job of thousands of people in Air India depends on them. Air India is already almost at the verge of bankruptcy and the government is trying to bail it out, giving lot of money. But part of that bailout is with strings that they (pilots) have to perform. For the last three months, Air India was doing better. Now with this action, they should consider what the result would be," the minister said.
"They know they can't strike without notice. It is an illegal strike. They have not come forward for talks yet. They must be responsible. The government is trying to bail out Air India but they (pilots) must cooperate," he added.
Yesterday, 150 Air India pilots, reportedly unhappy with the management over their promotions, skipped work by calling in sick. A furious management then derecognized a major union - the Indian Pilots Guild - and sacked ten pilots, including four office-bearers of the guild. The union's offices in Mumbai and Delhi were also sealed. Medical teams were sent to the homes of some of the pilots who had reported sick. But despite this, the pilots remain undeterred and are continuing with their strike for the second day today, resulting in cancellation of many international flights.
Air India operates about 50 international flights a day. A month ago, the government cleared a 30,000 crore bailout for the airline. Many of the issues for pilots have stemmed from the merger five years ago of Air India with the government-owned domestic carrier, Indian Airlines.
There are two reasons for the latest strike. Pilots say the management has failed to follow agreed-upon timelines for promotion. They also say that the 500 pilots that operate international flights should have exclusive rights to be trained to fly the Boeing Dreamliner, which is scheduled to join the fleet this month.
The pilots at Air India say pooling them with Indian Airlines pilots to fly the Dreamliner will affect their career prospects.
As the standoff left thousands of passengers stranded, union minister Ajit Singh said yesterday that he believes "the time for national carriers is gone" and that the government "cannot and should not run any service industry."
However, Mr Singh, on NDTV's Left, Right and Centre, said that "even if we were to disinvest, first we have to bring it up to that level where somebody would be interested in investing in Air India." He pointed out that closing down the national airline, which has guzzled thousands of crores in bailout packages, would have serious repercussions, including a possible hike in air fares. He also said that Air India has 17% of passenger traffic currently.
He added that he accepts that there are genuine concerns among pilots post the merger such as protecting their seniority or parity in pay. But he said that these issues are already being studied and that the pilots must work through them with the management. "They have to realize this is their airline...their progress, their jobs depend on them...if they want to shut down Air India, they can do it very easily...all employees should feel they have a stake in its success," he said.
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