New Delhi, April 27: A section of Air India pilots numbering about 800 on Tuesday night decided to go on strike demanding pay parity and better working conditions and their action is likely to cause disruption of flights of the state-owned carrier from tomorrow.
According to Rishab Kapoor, the general secretary of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association, the pilots will go on strike from midnight. The ICPA decided to go strike following breakdown of talks involving the Association, the management and the Chief Labour Commissioner.
The talks were being held over a period of several weeks.
The 800-odd pilots belong to the erstwhile Indian Airlines and owe allegiance to the ICPA. The merged entity – Indian Airlines and Air India – has about 1,200 pilots.
According to airline sources, the services of pilots belonging to management cadre will be roped in to ensure there is no large scale disruption of flights of the national carrier. The immediate impact of the strike will be on domestic flights since the striking pilots belong to the erstwhile Indian Airlines. The ICPA want the pay for pilots of Indian Airlines to be on par with Air India.
–PTI–