Air India talks with pilot unions fail, strike to proceed

Air India management talks with the carrier's pilot unions have failed. The pilots intend to proceed with strike action on 09-Mar-2011 protesting delays in implementation of demands including pay and working condition parity between Indian Airlines and Air India staff (PTI/IANS, 06-Mar-2011). The Central Executive Committee (CEC) members of Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), which represents pilots of the erstwhile Indian Airlines, met management which said evacuation of Indians from Libya would be affected by any strike. The pilots stated that they were "fully committed to evacuating any Indian from any country going through civil unrest regardless of the status of the strike" but remained firm that management should address their grievances. Air India Chairman and MD Arvind Jadhav, in an open letter to staff last week, stated the grievances of one category of employees cannot be addressed in isolation (Business Standard, 05-Mar-2011). The union has reportedly sought a meeting with Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi to expand the reasons for the strike (PTI, 06-Mar-2011).