Mumbai: Air India employees protesting the proposed privatisation of the national carrier took to the streets on Tuesday with a march from Flora Fountain to Azad Maidan. The employees are represented by the Joint Forum Against Privatisation of Air India, comprising 12 Air India unions.
The joint forum announced that an alternative plan to run the airline is in the making, and the same would be presented to the government. “We have no vested interests. Give us two years and we will turn the airline around,” Vivek Rao, a leader of the joint forum, said. The forum includes the Air Corporation Employees Union, All India Service Engineers’ Association, Air India Employees Union, Aviation Industry Employee Guild, Air India Aircraft Engineers’ Association, All India Aircraft Engineers’ Association, Air India Engineers Association, United Air India Officers Association and Aviation Industry Employees Guild.
City Congress chief Sanjay Nirupam, party MLA Aslam Shaikh and Suryakant Mahadik of the Shiv Sena joined the Air India employees in the protest march and offered their support. “We are currently in the mode of educating people. The government’s logic of selling Air India does not make sense.”
The employees were joined by tens of thousands of trade unionists to commemorate International Workers Day, and carried out a ‘warning morcha’ to express dissent over anti-labour and anti-people policies of the BJP-led governments at the Centre and in Maharashtra.
According the joint forum, Air India’s social obligation will be finished the moment it is privatised. “We will be holding a convention in Chennai soon, and a massive rally is being planned in Delhi,” Mr. Rao said. Members of the joint forum warned the government saying if they were to end up jobless, they would ensure that elected representatives too would face the same fate. “We have employees spread all over the country, and they will come out on the streets when the time comes. We will not strike work, but instead work towards preventing the privatisation plan from taking shape.” he added.
