Air India contract workers go on strike

Demanding better pay package and medical benefits, nearly 300 contractual security and commercial workers of Air India boycotted work on Monday and staged a demonstration at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

Demanding better pay package and medical benefits, nearly 300 contractual security and commercial workers of Air India boycotted work on Monday and staged a demonstration at the Indira Gandhi International Airport in New Delhi.

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"We have been working for past five years but we are being paid meagrely. Also we have been denied any facility like medical insurance and provident fund which are provided even to the lower level employees of a private company," said Jit Singh, chairman of the Indian Airlines Limited -Airport Services Limited (IAL-ASL) Employees Union.

He claimed that contractual workers at Amritsar, Jaipur and other airports were were also on strike since Sunday afternoon.

The Air India management, however, said that there was no impact on its flights.

They said that they have been in talks with agitating employees. The airlines claimed that all of their demands were met as officials at the airport have been asked to provide medical facilities to these contractual workers, if they require, except in cases of "hospitalisation".

The airline is planning to take stern action against the agitating employees and may even terminate their contract, a senior official said.