Union Labour and Employment Minister Mallikarjun Kharge on Friday said that since both the striking pilots' union and the Air India management remained rigid during conciliatory talks, his officials could not break the ice.
“The Chief Labour Commissioner [CLC], N.K. Prasad, will continue his conciliatory efforts on Monday to break the deadlock. Otherwise it has to be considered whether the matter could be referred to the Labour Disputes Tribunal, and that would be the last option. What can we do if the talks continue to fail?” Mr. Kharge told TheHindu .
On the issue of passengers continuing to suffer as many Air India flights had been cancelled for the third day on Friday, Mr. Kharge said Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi had told him that he was independently trying to bring peace between the two factions by holding talks.
The CLC Mr. Prasad, who held talks on Thursday, said both sides were firm on their demands, and that the management was insisting that it would talk about the demands of the pilots' union only after the latter withdrew its strike.
The union, on its part, complained against the management's move to derecognise it and against the dismissal of pilots.
Meanwhile, the New Trade Union Initiative (NTUI), a trade union body, has condemned Air India's decision “to take law into its own hands on Wednesday by declaring actions undertaken by pilots as illegal, de-recognising the ICPA [Indian Commercial Pilots' Association], and sealing its offices.”
