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400 AI top pilots go on flash strike
Air India flight schedules could be affected in the coming days, as nearly 400 executive pilots of state-run carrier Air India have proceeded on a flash strike from Friday to protest the cut in their flying allowances. HT Correspondent reports.
Air India flight schedules could be affected in the coming days, as nearly 400 executive pilots of state-run carrier Air India have proceeded on a flash strike from Friday to protest the cut in their flying allowances.
About 400 executive pilots are a part of the airline’s management and are not allowed to form a union. They have, therefore, resorted to a flash strike.
Executive pilots do not fly on a daily basis and are not on the roster as regularly as a line pilot would be.
“We have not heard anything from the pilots (about the strike). They have gone to the media rather than coming to us. Air India management will do all to maintain normal flight operations to prevent any inconvenience to the passengers,” Air India spokesman Jitendra Bhargava said.
Meanwhile, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), the apex body representing the Air India’s 800 line pilots, who are not a part of the strike, have been invited by the management on September 30 (Wednesday) for talks to sort out pay related matters.
According to a senior Air India official, the management would come down heavily on the pilots who are trying to “arm twist” the management in a bid to renegotiate their flying allowance.
Earlier this week, the Air India board had announced major cuts in flying allowance that according to the executive pilots has brought down their salaries by about 70 per cent.
“The flying allowance has been cut by as much as 70 per cent while the management claims that the cut is about 50 per cent which is not true,” Capt VK Bhalla, a representative of the executive pilots said.
He added, “The pilots are so shocked after the cut in flying allowance that they are not in a frame of mind operate flights.”
Bhalla claimed that the pilots did not serve a strike notice as the airline management had not consulted them before announcing the cut in their flying allowance.
