New Delhi:
The strike called by protesting Air India pilots has entered its third day today and there are no signs of any breakthrough yet. Both the government and the pilots say they are open to talks, but neither has made the first move. As a consequence of the standoff, thousands of passengers remain stranded and continue to suffer. Here are 10 big facts on the story so far:
1) The Delhi High Court yesterday declared the strike illegal. But despite this, the pilots remain defiant. At least 250 pilots of them remain on strike. They began calling in sick early on Monday morning.
2) Speaking to reporters this morning, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh reiterated that the government is open to discussions to sort out the matter. He however insisted that he expects the pilots to follow the High Court order and return to work first. "Let us hope that pilots will follow High Court order. Everything is negotiable and we can talk. We have been saying this from day one. First let them make sure that Air India doesn't lose credibility. Let them go back to work. Just imagine that in this high intensity operation, they are calling sick...these are total lies," the minister said.
3) The main representative of the pilots, Jitendra Ahwad, said yesterday that the management has not invited them for talks. "I'm ready to withdraw 99% of the demands, but we expect one step forward from the management," he said.
4) 18 international flights from Delhi and Mumbai have been cancelled today. At least 10 flights were cancelled yesterday.
5) Passengers across the country continue to suffer as the deadlock continues. They say they are upset due to the "endless wait" for information. "They kept us waiting saying they are conducting a meeting inside, but nothing happened. A lot of people waited and then left. There are a lot of people whose visas are getting cancelled today. How are they supposed to manage?" asked an agitated passenger at Mumbai airport.
6) The airlines management has sacked total of 36 pilots so far. Doctors are being sent to homes of 50 pilots who called in sick.
7) The management yesterday derecognized the union of Air India pilots, called the Indian Pilots' Guild. The union has 250 members.
8) The pilots are upset because they say commitments made to them about promotions are not being met.
9) They also say that pilots from Indian Airlines must not be trained to fly the Boeing Dreamliner, scheduled to join the carrier's fleet this month. Air India pilots say this should be their prerogative and a way of preserving their seniority.
10) Air India was merged with the domestic national carrier Indian Airlines in 2007 - an unhappy marriage for pilots from both airlines. Air India operates about 50 international flights everyday.