The 58-day strike by over 400 Air India union pilots who fly international routes ended late on Tuesday night after the Indian Pilots’ Guild decided to call off their agitation. Earlier on Tuesday, the aggrieved pilots had assured the Delhi high court they would end their two-month-long strike in the next two days after an assurance by the national carrier that it would be “sympathetic” on their grievances.
Air India pilots, however, later told this newspaper that while they would tell the court of their willingness to end the strike and rejoin duties within 48 hours, they were likely to rejoin duties only when Air India agrees to reinstate 101 sacked pilots.
Civil aviation minister Ajit Singh said the government was willing to consider the pilots’ grievances, including reinstatement of terminated pilots, and hoped the strike would end. He also said the high court direction on the strike “has endorsed the views of the government that the pilots should call off the strike unconditionally and report back to duty”.
In her order on Tuesday, Justice Reva Khetrapal of the Delhi high court said: “The senior counsel appearing for the pilots has said her clients will immediately call off the strike and join duties in 48 hours, by giving joining reports or a report expressing willingness to join duty. The Air India management shall sympathetically consider the grievances of pilots, including the reinstatement of those pilots terminated as a consequence to their strike.”
The court directed the pilots and the management to appear before the conciliator, chief labour commissioner N.K. Prasad, on July 6. Justice Khetrapal also sought a report from the conciliating officer by July 9.
Justice Khetrapal asked the management to hold an informal talk with pilots to resolve the issue, saying: “The issue should be resolved at the earliest. Nobody should suffer, neither pilots nor the airline. The pilots are not ‘goondas’ or criminal elements.”
Government sources said its stand has been consistent, that pilots should rejoin duty immediately, after which Air India would consider reinstatement of the sacked pilots on a “case by case basis”. There are indications the government is open to reinstating 91 out of 101 sacked pilots, and could decline to do so only in case of 10 office-bearers of the Indian Pilots’ Guild, which was leading the strike.