Air India employees today called off their proposed strike tomorrow after the management decided to pay the June salary of employees in Grade I to Grade IX by July 3, instead of July 15.
“There will be no strike tomorrow. The management showed their seriousness over the issue and has decided to pay salaries to about 70 per cent of our workers,” V J Deka, regional general secretary of the Aviation Industry Employees Guild, said here.
Employees under Grade I to Grade IX, who include check-in staff, baggage handlers etc, comprise 70 per cent of unionised workforce. Air India employees in the grades of I-IX, Indian Airlines staffers in the grades of I, II. III and VI and senior aircraft technicians in Indian Airlines would get their salaries by July 3, Indian Airlines Technicians Association President M S Kulkarni said.
The decision by the unions to call off their ‘no pay, no work’ agitation came after management team, led by Air India CMD Arvind Jadhav, held a day-long meeting with union representatives in Mumbai today.
The meeting followed several rounds of negotiations last week. The three unions — AIEG, Air Corporation Employees Union and Indian Aircraft Technician's Association —- were protesting the management's decision to defer payment of salaries by 15 days.
Meanwhile, the Mumbai Regional Labour Commissioner has called a meeting between representatives of the Air India management and employee unions on July 6.