New Delhi: In a move that could hit Air
India's international operations, over 100 pilots have
threatened to quit the airlines, charging the management with
adopting discriminatory attitude against them and stalling
their career progression.
The development comes four days ahead of the launch of a
training programme for pilots to fly the Boeing 787
Dreamliners, the first of which is expected to join the
airline by December.
In a letter to Air India CMD Rohit Nandan, over 100
pilots, owing allegiance to the Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG),
said they were "compelled to seek a No Objection Certificate
so that we may consider seeking employment elsewhere".
Copies of the letter were also sent to Civil Aviation
Minister Vayalar Ravi and other officials, besides the
Regional Labour Commissioner, Mumbai.
When contacted, Air India officials, requesting
anonymity, said the IPG office-bearers were currently holding
negotiations with the management and "we are hopeful of
sorting out their issues".
The IPG represents around 200 pilots of the pre-merger
Air India, while the Indian Commercial Pilots Association that
had gone on strike in April this year represents around 1,400
pilots of the erstwhile Indian Airlines.
A total of 101 pilots signed the letter claiming they
felt "cheated by the management's unfair and discriminatory
decisions, leading to a complete stall of our career
progression".
"These decisions and actions provide a windfall gain to
the pilots of erstwhile Indian Airlines at the expense of the
career progression prospects of the pilots of erstwhile Air
India," the letter said.
PTI
First Published: Monday, October 31, 2011, 20:13