Jet pilots call off strike

The strike was called off after a marathon seven-hour meeting here during which it was agreed that the pilots sacked by the airline would be reinstated and the pilots would not challenge a review of registration of their union National Aviators Guild by the Registrar of Trade Unions.

Nearly 400 pilots affiliated to NAG had reported sick, protesting dismissal of their colleagues.  The stir resulted in cancellation of 280 flights on Saturday.  Earlier, before the meeting between the pilots and the Jet Management, the airline’s Executive Director Saroj Dutta addressed the pilots appealing to them to end their agitation.

Girish Kaushik, President of the National Aviators Guild (NAG) had said that the management had agreed to reinstate the sacked pilots “but at the same time they want us to agree to many things.”

He said the Jet ED has “asked us to start flying first as the image of the airline is harmed, the passengers were facing difficulty and I must apologise for this.”

After Dutta addressed the pilots, who are staying together in a guest house here for the past five days, another round of meeting began between the NAG and the management to finalise the draft accord.

Saturday’s discussions came a day after nine-hour long inconclusive conciliatory proceedings between the management and the NAG before the Chief Labour Commissioner.

In the morning, the pilots had a meeting where Kaushik and other NAG leaders briefed them about the deliberations.