Section of AI pilots to go on strike

According to Rishab Kapoor, the general secretary of the Indian Commercial Pilots Association(ICPA), the pilots will go on strike from midnight tonight.

The ICPA decided to go strike following breakdown of talks involving the Association, the management and the Chief Labour Commissioner. The talks were being held over a period of several weeks.

The 800-odd pilots belong to the erstwhile Indian Airlines and owe allegiance to the ICPA. The merged entity--Indian Airlines and Air India--has about 1,200 pilots.

According to airline sources, the services of pilots belonging to management cadre will be roped in to ensure there is no large scale disruption of flights of the national carrier. The immediate impact of the strike will be on domestic flights since the striking pilots belong to the erstwhile Indian Airlines.

The ICPA want the pay for pilots of Indian Airlines to be on par with Air India.It has claimed that there are differences in salaries and working conditions of pilots of Indian Airlines and Air India and that the management has violated the memorandum of settlement signed in November 2009 on implementing the Sixth Pay Commission recommendations.