With the strike by a section of Air India’s executive pilots entering the fifth day, many national and international flights have been cancelled and passengers stranded at various destinations. The strike has caused undue inconvenience to people. Air India is already running at a loss of Rs.7000 crore. Its mismanagement has made the Maharaja hang his head in shame. The employees should negotiate with the management to end the strike as soon as possible.
Gururajan Ramachandran,
Udhagamandalam
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As the national carrier enjoying the people’s trust for years, Air India should initiate immediate action to end the strike, bearing in mind the hardship of passengers, especially those who have booked their tickets in advance. Disputes over salaries and allowances are internal issues and they should not become a hindrance to the public.
S. Nagarajan,
Thiruvananthapuram
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The ongoing strike by Air India pilots deserves to be condemned in strong terms. India is a poor country, made poorer by the couldn’t-care-less highly paid categories of employees like them. A law should be enacted to impose a ceiling on their salaries.
It is encouraging to see that the management has not buckled under pressure. To rein in the pilots, Air India should not hesitate to shut down its services for six months if necessary.
M.V. Nahusharaj,
Bangalore
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With the talks between the agitating pilots and the Air India management failing to break the deadlock, scores of passengers have been put to tremendous inconvenience which is extremely unfair. Are the employees of different airlines taking turns to hold the nation to ransom?
Jaya Venkitachalam,
Chennai
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The pilots of Air India, it seems, have taken a cue from their counterparts in Jet Airways. They want to cripple airline operations only to have their demands met by the management. The deadlock should be resolved through dialogue. The Ministry of Civil Aviation should step in if the impasse persists.
S. Lakshmi Narayanan,
Cuddalore
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The government, the Air India management and the striking pilots seem to be least concerned about the passengers. They don’t care about the losses to the aviation industry which has been ailing for two years. No crisis is ever treated with a sense of urgency in our country. Taxpayers are always at the receiving end.
Rameeza A. Rasheed,
Chennai
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Everyone knows that the pilots are paid huge salaries and allowances. The strike diminishes people’s respect for them. The passengers have been put to unnecessary hardship in the tussle between the management and the employees of Air India. It is time the management took cognisance of this simple fact and worked for a mutually acceptable solution.
P. Siddhartha,
Nellore
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Only the competitors of the national carrier are happy to see Air India losing money and cancelling many flights. Pilots are among the best paid in the industry. When business is bad, they should forego their perks rather than adopt pressure tactics. The cash strapped Air India is badly in need of a new management, cash and committed employees. This is not the time to agitate and lose patrons. If the strike continues, more flights will have to be cancelled. The ultimate losers will be the employees of Air India because people will find other airlines to fly.
D.B.N. Murthy,
Bangalore
