Air India should decide if they want to retain striking pilots says Singh

It is for the management of Air India to decide for how long can they keep striking pilots on their payroll when they are not working, the government says



New Delhi: With Air India considering further crackdown on the striking pilots, the government on Monday said it is for airlines management to decide for how long to keep them on their payroll when they are not working, reports PTI.



It "is for the Air India management to take action now. These pilots have not come to work for more than 30 days....It is an illegal strike. They have defied the High Court," Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said.



"We have requested them again and again to come back to work. So, it is for the management to decide for how long can they keep them on their payroll when they are not working. And they have no intention of coming back," he told reporters.



Around 400 Air India pilots owing allegiance to Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) have been on strike since 7th May and the services of 101 pilots have already been terminated.



Sources in the state-owned airline have said "tough action" would be taken against the remaining 300-odd pilots and have given indications that they could be sacked.



Earlier, on Wednesday Singh had said that for him, the strike was over and he did not see any point in the striking pilots coming back.



He has said that the decision to withdraw the stir lay with the pilots "as I had already said that the strike is already over from our side."



"If management has to take any action, they will take as per the labour law," he said.



Earlier, the minister had said alternative plans were being made to ensure that operations of the state-run carrier were normalised within two-three months so that the revival plan could be put in place.



Observing that there were about 500 expat pilots in the country, he said the management was in touch with them.



There are about 60-odd expat pilots, trained on wide-bodied aircraft like Boeing 777s or Airbus A-300s, whose contracts with Jet Airways have ended or are about to expire.



Kingfisher Airlines is also facing trouble and the government is hoping that there would be sufficient trained pilots looking for job prospects elsewhere.



Maintaining that the strike by the pilots was illegal, Singh slammed the agitators for resorting to strike during the peak season without any notice.