A flash strike by Air India (domestic) ground staff and aircraft maintenance engineers was called off by union members on Wednesday evening after a stay order by the Delhi high court. Air India, meanwhile, dismissed 17 union leaders and suspended 15 others. Sources said more dismis-sals may follow.
The Air India management ordered the dismissals and suspensions after minister of state for civil aviation and the highest levels of the government authorised such tough action. Mr Patel earlier briefed the Cabinet and also spoke to PM Manmohan Singh and finance minister Pranab Mukherjee. The government was furious at the inconvenience to passengers and over the fact that the strike was called soon after the Mangalore tragedy.
Well-placed ministry sources and a union leader confirmed that both Air Corporation Employees Union general secretary J.B. Kadyan and All-India Aircraft Engineers Association general secretary Y.V. Raju had been dismissed. Both were unavailable for comment.
“We are planning the next course of action in the wake of the dismissals and suspensions,” said a stunned union leader who claimed 10 ACEU members and five engineers had been sacked. All 15 suspended employees were engineers. The strike was called earlier over the airline’s move to issue showcause notices to Mr Kadyan and Mr Raju for airing grievances to the media. Air India officials and union leaders attended arbitration proceedings at the chief labour commissioner in New Delhi all through Wednesday.