AI pilots, management make no headway in conciliation talks

The four-hour-long conciliation proceedings before the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC), following directions by the Delhi High Court, did not yield any resolution, Labour Ministry sources said.

The next date for the proceedings would be decided by the court, they said.

"As per the High Court order, all pilots have reported back to work. Today we came for this conciliation meeting. But unfortunately, the Air India management did not reciprocate to our goodwill gesture of our reporting back to work," Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG) Joint Secretary Tauseef Mukadam told reporters after the proceedings.

Claiming that the management representatives did not have any proposal to resolve the stalemate, he said, "they simply asked for more time to consider our demands. The Deputy Labour Commissioner has recorded the proceedings and will submit a report to the High Court on July nine."

Air India officials, present at the meeting, refused to take any questions from waiting mediapersons.

The High Court, while asking the pilots to call off their strike and the management to sympathetically consider their grievances including reinstating the 101 sacked pilots, had directed that conciliation proceedings be held today and a report on it be submitted to it by July nine.

IPG leaders said all 434 of their colleagues have submitted affidavits to the court and its copies to Air India that they were willing and ready to resume duty, as directed by the court. (more)