Air India pilots warn of indefinite stir from November

If you’re booked on an Air India flight in November, you may want to change your plans. The Indian Commercial Pilot Association, the union formed by 800 Indian Airlines pilots, on Wednesday threatened to go on indefinite strike if the management failed to clear their outstanding dues by November 1, reports Soubhik Mitra.

If you’re booked on an Air India flight in November, you may want to change your plans. The Indian Commercial Pilot Association, the union formed by 800 Indian Airlines pilots, on Wednesday threatened to go on indefinite strike if the management failed to clear their outstanding dues by November 1.

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In September, 400 Air India executive pilots had gone on mass sick leave for four days to protest pay cuts, resulting in more than 200 flights being cancelled and the airline losing more than Rs 100 crore. The number of agitating pilots this time is double.

“We have the right to do anything if our outstanding salaries from August are not cleared,” said Captain RS Ottal, the association’s general secretary.

The union claimed they had been paid only 20 per cent of the August salary and that the whole of September and October’s payments were pending.

“We will settle the September and October salaries by the month-end. But we do not give any commitment on performance linked incentive as the company is going through a tough time,” Air India spokes-person Jitendra Bhargava said.