Air India pilots suspect ulterior motive in hard stance against them

MUMBAI: A no-compromise approach adopted by Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh and the Rs 30,000-crore bailout package have allegedly led to the hardening of stance by the government in its dealings with the agitating Air India pilots, which is in sharp contrast to the soft manner in which the government dealt with the striking pilots of erstwhile Indian Airlines a year ago.

The difference in attitude has also led to the Air India faction of pilots, represented by IPG, alleging that former Indian Airlines' pilots are calling the shots now in the national carrier. A senior aviation ministry official, however, rubbished the view that the ministry and the management are driving the entire process to make the Indian Airlines a stronger entity once the merger is complete.

"Within six days of the ICPA, a union affiliated to the then Indian Airlines, strike, the entire management was in a talking mode. Why are they hiding this time? Also, how come the ICPA pilots got a hike before Dharamadhikari recommendations were even announced? For any public sector enterprise employee to get a raise, the enterprise needs to make profits for three years, which is not the case with Air India. Air India employees are being discriminated against and the merger is not of two airlines, but it is actually a takeover of Air India by Indian Airlines," said Tauseef Mukaddam, spokesperson for Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG).

Only last year, IPG pilots allege, that the management treated with kid gloves pilots belonging to the Indian Airlines, who had grounded the carrier for 12 days. The ministry buckled under pressure by signing an agreement with ICPA, agreeing not only to recognize the agitating union but also taking back the sacked office bearers of ICPA with immediate effect. The management also referred the terms and conditions of pay parity to Dharmadhikari Committee that was appointed to blue print a plan for the merged Air India.

This time around, the ministry de-recognised the Indian Pilots Guild, or IPG, on May 1, 2012 and sacked nearly 100 pilots in 37 days of agitation (with threat to terminate services of 340 pilots more) and is now in no mood to initiate a dialogue with agitating pilots till they resume flying.

The employees of Air India are now questioning the ministry's involvement in the whole matter then and argue why the it cannot intervene now when IPG is striking and bring the warring management and pilots on the same page.

Sources in the aviation ministry told ET that the IPG was told clearly that the environment has changed and that they can no longer be treated the same way as the ICPA. Also, much of what is transpiring currently at Air India comes from the fact that Ajit Singh does not share the same sympathy with the unions as former minster Vyalar Ravi.