2ND LD FLIGHTS 2 LST

Asked whether the Jet management had agreed to take back
the sacked pilots, Kaushik said "they have agreed but at the
same time they want us to agree to many things."

He said the Jet ED has "asked us to start flying first as
the image of the airline is harmed, the passengers were facing
difficulty and I must apologise for this."

To questions on the areas of differences that were
preventing an agreement, the NAG chief said there was "a small
technical hitch about the drafting of the Guild issue. Now we
are trying to modify (the draft) and see what can be done so
that it is acceptable to both sides."

After Dutta addressed the agitating pilots, who are
staying together in a guest house here for the past five days,
another round of meeting began between the NAG leaders and the
management to finalise the draft accord.

Saturday's discussions came a day after nine-hour long
inconclusive conciliatory proceedings between the management
and the NAG before the Chief Labour Commissioner.

In the morning, the pilots had a meeting of their own
where Kaushik and other NAG leaders briefed them about the
deliberations at the conciliatory proceedings.

After the day-long proceedings that ended late last
night, both Mukhopadhyay and Kaushik had expressed hope that a
resolution would be worked out on Saturday, even as Labour
Minister Mallikarjun Kharge said he expected a solution to the
crisis in the "next 48 hours". PTI