New Delhi: The Regional Labour Commissioner (Central Region) has decided to mediate between Jet Airways and its pilots who have issued a strike notice to protest the airline's decision of not reinstating two terminated employees.
The National Aviators Guild, the newly formed union of Jet Airways pilots, had issued a notice to the carrier to go on an indefinite strike from midnight of September 7 to protest sacking of two of their colleagues.
"This notice has been taken up for conciliation by the Regional Labour Commissioner (Central)...Jet Airways assures its guests that appropriate action will be taken to ensure that there is no disruption in its operations," the airline said in a statement today.
The Guild claims the support of around 650 pilots in the company.
Jet had sacked two of its senior pilots, Capt Sam Thomas and Capt Balaraman, through an e-mail saying that their services were not required.
The pilots, however, claim that they were laid-off as the two were instrumental in forming the pilots union of the airline.
’Pilots' strike illegal’
Private carrier Jet Airways Tuesday said the decision of its newly constituted pilots' guild to go on indefinite strike from Sep 7 in protest against sacking of their colleagues was illegal. It also said there would be no disruption in its operations.
"As a responsible corporate body, Jet Airways assures its guests that appropriate action will be taken to ensure that there is no disruption in its operations, and that no inconvenience is caused to passengers," the airlines said in a statement Tuesday.
The airlines also refused to recognise the newly constituted union of the pilots, the National Aviators Guild.
Over 600 Jet Airways pilots have threatened to go on an indefinite strike from midnight Sep 7 to protest the sacking of two colleagues earlier this month.
Girish Kaushik, president of the pilots' guild, said it has issued a 14-day mandatory notice to the airline management apprising it about the decision to go on strike.
The guild has said the sacking of the two pilots was unjustified and an act of vendetta as they were involved in starting a pilot's union.
Bureau Report with IANS inputs
First Published: Tuesday, August 25, 2009, 15:44