Airport workers on strike

After several postponements, the Airport Authority Employees Union (AAEU) is going on an indefinite strike, which it has described as "non-cooperation" against the government, from midnight.

The move follows the failure of the second round of talks between the Union and civil aviation ministry officials, with the latter refusing to acceed to the demand to continue operations in the Hyderabad and Bangalore airport.

In fact, the government issued its notification announcing the closure of the Hyderabad airport today.

"We will continue our agitation until our demands are met," said M K Ghosal, general secretary, AAEU.

At least 18,000 non-executive employees of the AAEU will participate in this non-cooperation movement. Passenger services at the airports manned by the Airports Authority of India (AAI) like Kolkata, Chennai and Trivandrum will be worst hit.

The strike will impact a variety of operations like housekeeping, the baggage carousels, emergency services for aircraft, maintenance of electrical systems and so on.

Passengers through Delhi and Mumbai, however, can breathe easy as the private airport operators have contingency plans. Both metros handle 60 per cent of the country's passenger traffic.

Executives of Delhi International Airport Ltd (DIAL), the GMR-led public-private partnership that is modernising Delhi airport, said they have hired 400 to 500 extra staff for tomorrow and have pressed their own staff of around 500 who will be in action. There are about 1,700 AAI employees working at Delhi airport, around half the total workforce.

Civil aviation ministry officials in Delhi said they have also deployed 479 air force staff in 21 airports to marshall aircraft and firefighting services.

Meanwhile, the Delhi government has imposed the Essential Services Maintenance Act against any strike in the airport.

Said the executive of Mumbai International Airport Ltd (MIAL), the GVK-led consortium modernising the airport, "We will outsource the housekeeping services and also call in agencies for armed assistance and also with assistance for the baggage handling."

Airport directors at Chennai and Trivandrum told Business Standard that the executive officers will manage the contingency plan that has been put in place. Kolkata airport, too, said that it has its contingency plans in place.