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This Article is From Sep 09, 2009

Sacked Jet pilots defiant, to continue stir

Mumbai: The stalemate between the Jet Airways management and its pilots refuses to end. And after the press conference by its management, the sacked Jet pilots too addressed the media in Mumbai on Wednesday to put forward their point.

During the meeting, the defiant pilots said they were irked by the fact that Jet management didn't recognise them as a union. The pilots added that they can't disband the union.

"We won't dissolve the union as it's our Constitutional right," said Sam Thomas, one of the sacked pilots.

Our fellow pilots were sacked by the management without any reason, they said adding that the strike will go on if their demands are not met.

"We will take the lead in talks and won't return to work till sacked pilots are reinstated," the pilots said.

The pilots, however, said that they are willing to talk to the management.

'We are not under any pressure'

Earlier, the agitating Jet Airways pilots had said they are "not under any pressure" after airline chairman Naresh Goyal threatened to close down operations due to the ongoing crisis.

Gireesh Kaushik, president of National Aviator Guild, held the airline management responsible for the passengers' woes.

"We just want our voice back in the company. We want back our two colleagues who were sacked. It (passengers' problems) is not due to us. We are trying to bring the situation back to normal," Kaushik, who arrived in New Delhi to meet DGCA officials to put forth his union's views, said.

Asked whether they were under pressure after Goyal's statement that he is ready to close down operations of the airlines, he said, "We are not under any pressure."

On the probability of imposition of ESMA, he said whatever they want to impose, they can do it. "We are going in honest direction," Kaushik said.

He also said that it was not a strike as each one of the pilots have joined the agitation by themselves.

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