Air India employees go on a three day hunger strike

Employees of India's flagship carrier Air India went on a three-day hunger strike on Tuesday (August 25) in the national capital New Delhi over delay in payment of their salaries.

NEW DELHI, INDIA (AUGUST 25, 2009) ANI- Employees of India's flagship carrier Air India went on a three-day hunger strike on Tuesday (August 25) over delay in payment of their salaries in the national capital New Delhi.
As many as 20,000 employees Aviation Industry Employees Guild (AIEG) and Air Corporation Employees Union (ACEU) and some other unions from across the nation are protesting against the delay in their salary for the past two months.

Earlier, employees had gone on a two-hour-long protest over non-payment of wages.

"Workers haven't been getting their salaries. Past two months we haven't received our salaries. We agitated some time back because of which we got 40 percent of our salaries but the rest 60 percent is still due. The management had issued an order stating to release our salaries by 20th August but we still haven't received anything. The workers are agitated and disappointed," said J B Kadian, general secretary, Air Corporation Employees Union (ACEU).

Last Friday, the meeting of the unions with the Air India CMD (Chairman and Managing Director) in Mumbai failed to reach any conclusion. The next round of meeting is scheduled to be held here this afternoon.

The employees threatened that they would again go on strike on August 31 if their negotiations with the management fail.

"If our salaries are not disbursed today then we will carry on the strike for the next three days," said Shruti, an employee of Air India.

Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel had said the government cannot bail out Air India every time, and it is time for the flagship carrier to tighten its belt and resolve its financial woes.

Air India's borrowings have risen from rupees 6, 550 crore in November 2007 to rupees 15, 241 crore in June this year.