Mumbai, Sep 27 (Inditop.com) National carrier Air India Sunday began talks with a section of striking pilots based in Mumbai. However, bulk of the agitators across the country were still adamant about their demand for productivity-linked incentives (PLI) that have been slashed.
“Our chief (Air India chairman and managing director Arvind Jadhav) is playing a game by inviting only one group of pilots,” said Captain V.K. Bhalla, a senior executive pilot leading the agitating pilots.
“But these pilots are prudent enough to understand the issue. This will not work at all,” Bhalla, a Delhi-based pilot, told Inditop Sunday.
Around 400 pilots have threatened to go on mass sick leave to protest the airline’s decision to cut their incentives.
Save for a few pilots based in Mumbai, most refused to hold talks with the airline’s management at its Mumbai headquarters, demanding that the management first revoke its decision.
“The management had asked us to join for the talks but we have refused. We have told them to first pay our three months dues and also restore the PLI,” he said.
He also claimed that over 50 flights have been cancelled, while the management has claimed 26 flights as cancelled.
Cancelled flights include seven on international routes, according to the airline officials as striking pilots continued their agitation for the second consecutive day.
“International flights from Delhi to Bangkok, Singapore, Dubai, Kathmandu and a few other destinations were cancelled as some pilots put on duty did not report for work,” a senior Air India official told Inditop.
Eleven flights were cancelled Saturday as several pilots failed to report for duty.
The beleaguered carrier had Wednesday decided to cut the productivity linked incentives of employees by 25 to 50 percent as part of its cost cutting measures.
