Air India pilots favour strike over 'workman' status

Removal from workman category means service terms can be changed and they can't raise a dispute against employers

Air India pilots will go on a strike to oppose a move to remove commanders from the workman category of the Industrial Disputes Act, restricting them of certain labour law rights. Earlier this month, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), which represents pilots on domestic routes, held a secret ballot, seeking members’ views on a strike. ICPA, which represents 670 pilots of the erstwhile Indian Airlines, had carried out the ballot between August 31 and September 9.

“We are overwhelmed by the enthusiasm shown by our members by participating in the secret ballot. All the four regions have voted in favour of a strike,” ICPA general secretary T Praveen Keerthi wrote to member pilots on Monday.     

 

The letter added the association’s central executive committee held an emergency meeting on Sunday to discuss the results of the secret ballot. A strike notice will be served to the airline later this week.

The ICPA have also served a legal notice to the airline, demanding withdrawal of the notification.

If commanders are removed from the workman category of the Industrial Disputes Act, they can no longer be part of trade unions, their service conditions could be changed, and they won’t be able to raise a dispute against employers.

A day after a notification on the labour ministry’s move was issued, a few pilots of the airline had undertaken a ‘go-slow’ protest --- they reported late for work, leading to flight delays in several parts of the county.

In 2012, many pilots of wide-bodied aircraft had stopped work for 58 days, protesting against the Air India management’s decision to train pilots from the erstwhile Indian Airlines in the merged entity on Boeing-787 Dreamliners. This led to de-recognition of the Indian Pilots Guild, which had called the strike.

Air India and Indian Airlines were merged into a single entity in 2007.