Govt hold fresh round of talks with striking AI pilots

New Delhi, May 5 (PTI) A fresh round of talks between
Government and striking Air India pilots to end the nine-day
stir Thursday inched forward with the agitators hoping that
some remaining sticky issues will be resolved in the next few
days.
After four hours of talks last night, another round of
discussions held between the two sides remained inconclusive,
though the agitators hoped that the issues would be resolved
in a day or two.
"We met for four and half hours today. Government is
making sincere efforts to resolve matters and has taken some
serious steps forward. We are also giving our 100 per cent to
resolve the issues. We are hopeful that the matter will be
resolved in a day or two", Rishabh Kapur, General Secretary of
the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), told
reporters this evening.
Civil Aviation ministry officials were also optimistic
that the deadlock would end soon.
After their parleys with Joint Secretary Prashant
Shukul, the ICPA leaders, including its President A S Bhinder,
also met Civil Aviation Secretary Nasim Zaidi for the first
time since the talks began Wednesday.
Refusing to elaborate on the points over which the
talks are stuck, Kapur said "we will meet again tomorrow. We
appreciate the efforts being made by the government. The talks
are going on in a positive direction".
Sources said a major sticking point was the demand of
the pilots, most of whom belong to the erstwhile Indian
Airlines, for compensation of 75 'fixed flying hours
allowance', which their erstwhile Air India colleagues get.
The Indian Prime Minister's Office (PMO) wants the
strike to end soon and is understood to have impressed upon
the Indian Civil Aviation Ministry to take urgent steps to
resolve the impasse. Indian Cabinet Secretary K M
Chandrasekhar has reviewed the situation arising out of the
pilots' stir.
The ailing national carrier's services remained
crippled for the ninth day with the airline managing to
operate only 10 per cent of its daily 320 flights.
Air India till Wednesday transferred about 18,000
domestic and 9,000 international passengers to private and
foreign carriers since the strike began nine days ago. Around
60 of its planes are grounded due to the strike, according to
official estimates.
Besides pay parity , ICPA is seeking CBI probe into
alleged mismanagement and corruption, withdrawal of flights
from profitable routes and aircraft purchases.
Air India, which has sacked seven pilots and suspended
six others, is facing an estimated operational loss of Rs 26
crore per day on account of the stir. The management has also
decided not to process the April salaries of the agitators.
Delhi High Court on Tuesday slapped contempt notices
on nine office bearers of the de-recognised ICPA for
disobeying its order to call off the strike. It would take up
the matter again on May 25.
The pilots are also demanding that all sackings,
suspensions and transfers effected during the strike period be
revoked, ICPA's recognition be restored, the contempt of court
petition filed by Air India management be withdrawn and all
other issues be tackled in a time-bound manner.