Mumbai, Sept 19: The relay hunger strike by airport employees, owing allegiance to Airport Authority Employees Union (AAEU), to protest the privatisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports, entered the second day today. Employees in batches are holding the relay hunger strike at the domestic terminal as part of the country-wide agitation, according to AAEU general secretary Nitin Jadhav.
The relay hunger strike will continue till midnight of September 25 to be followed by one-day mass casual leave on September 26 and the AAEU would decide on the future course of action of agitation depending on the response of the government. Civil Aviation Minister Rajiv Pratap Rudy had yesterday, at Patna, sought to allay fears of retrenchment among the staff of Airports Authority of India (AAI).
The staff of the two airports would be sent on deputation to the proposed company to be set up as a joint venture with 26 per cent Central government participation for three years, the minister had said. Meanwhile, at Nagpur, on the second day of the relay protest, four employees sat on chain hunger strike at Sonegaon airport, according to local secretary of AAEU J J Goswami. Bureau Report