AI reinstates few employees suspended for striking work in May

"The management has reinstated 25 employees of the 32 workers suspended for striking work against a gag order. Of these, 24 are engineers who belong to the All India Aircraft Engineers Association (AIAEA) while one employee is from the Air Corporation Employees
Union (ACEU)," the source said.

When contacted, an Air India spokesperson confirmed that the suspension of some employees was revoked but declined to give the number. "Suspensions (are) being revoked on a case-to-case basis. The total number is not known," spokesperson told PTI in response to a text message.

The Air India management in May had terminated services of 55 employees besides suspending 32 others after a section of the now derecognised AIAEA and ACEU went on a two-day flash strike amidst relief work in the aftermath of the Mangalore plane crash that claimed 158 lives.

It also withdrew the recognition granted to these unions. The employees had struck work against a management's "gag order", banning them from interacting with the media.
The decision on the rest of the seven suspended employees and 55 terminated ones is pending, the source said.

The decision to revoke suspension of the 25 employees came following political intervention from the Left parties. Civil Aviation Minister, Praful Patel, had early this month "assured" the CPI(M) politburo member Sitaram Yechuri and CPI leader Gurudas Dasgupta that the suspended employees would be reinstated, the source said.

"He (Patel) assured me that the issues have to be resolved with the unions. As a gesture and the first step, all the employees suspended will be reinstated," the two Left leaders had said after holding telephonic discussion with Patel.