No headway in AI-pilot talks, all eyes on HC hearing

Conciliatory talks between the Air India (AI) management and pilots, who called off their 58-day strike on Tuesday have failed and the action moves back to the Delhi high court where the matter comes up for hearing on July 9.

Conciliatory talks between the Air India (AI) management and pilots, who called off their 58-day strike on Tuesday have failed and the action moves back to the Delhi high court where the matter comes up for hearing on July 9.

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The two sides had appeared before the labour commissioner’s office on Friday on the directions of the HC but even after five hours of talks they failed to reach a common ground.

"The ball is in the HC’s court now. The management representatives did not give any assurance and simply asked for more time," a pilot said.

“We won’t capitulate to their demands,” a senior AI official said. “Our stand remains the same that cases of sacked pilots would be considered on a case-to-case basis. Pilots thought that everything has been sorted out. But that isn't the case,” he said.

The IPG, the pilot association leading the agitation, said all its members had reported back for work. “In the meeting, the AI officials expressed their inability to provide any commitment on the reinstatement of pilots and on any other issues,” the IPG said in a statement.

“Instead they requested the deputy chief labour commissioner for more time. In other words, the management failed to reciprocate IPG's goodwill gesture of calling off the agitation and reporting to work," the statement said.