New Delhi:
After the Air India pilots and the management failed to resolve the deadlock in the first round of conciliation talks before the Labour Commissioner on Friday, the case returns to the Delhi High Court today.
The striking pilots called off their 58-day long strike last Tuesday after the court asked the pilots to call off their strike and the management to sympathetically consider reinstating the 101 sacked pilots. It had directed that report of the conciliation proceedings be submitted to it by July nine.
Following the order the pilots and the management met on Friday for a four-hour-long conciliation proceedings before the Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC), which failed to yield any resolution.
"As per the High Court order, all pilots have reported back to work. 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."
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.
In their submission before the Deputy Labour Commissioner, the IPG sought revocation of all sack orders, withdrawal of all legal proceedings against the pilots and complaints before the DGCA, restoration of recognition of IPG and payment of pending salaries and allowances.
The pilots had started reporting sick from May 7 as part of their agitation and later staged a 10-day protest fast too.
The pilots, in spite of reporting back to duty, would not be able to resume flying anytime soon. Since they were on 'sick leave' for two months, they would have to undergo the mandatory medical tests.
Some of them might also have to undertake flight simulator refresher training which is required if they do not fly for two months.