Air India sacks six pilots as 'illegal' strike continues

Air India sacks six pilots as 'illegal' strike continues

2011-04-28 05:31:42 GMT+7 (ICT)

NEW DELHI, INDIA (BNO NEWS) -- The state-owned Air India on Wednesday sacked six pilots while the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA) continues its 'illegal' strike, the Hindu newspaper reported.

More than 800 ICPA members went on indefinite strike on Tuesday after sending a notice to Air India's management. The pilots are demanding pay parity stemming from the merger of Indian Airlines and Air India.

The state-owned air carrier denied complying with the ICPA demands and called them for return to laboring. The Indian government appointed a three-member committee to investigate the wage parity issues from the merger but the report will be ready in four months.

ICPA received a heavy blow against its expectations after the Delhi High Court ruled the strike as illegal and called on pilots to end their agitation and resume work as it is in the best interest of the Indian people.

The pilots decided to continue the strike and in retaliation, Air India sacked six leading ICPA members. Among the dismissed pilots were ICPA's president Captain A.S. Bhinder and Secretary-General Capt. Rishabh Kapu.

"The ICPA has proceeded on strike despite ongoing proceedings in the Delhi High Court," said Air India in a statement. "No strike is legally permitted during the pendency of the case before the Tribunal."

In addition, the state-owned airline informed that it no longer recognize the ICPA and close down its officers in Delhi and Mumbai. So far, 37 flights have been cancelled and several more were delayed for hours prompting chaos in many airports.

Air India also announced that it will not refund any fees of cancelled flights due to the illegal strike. The air carrier added that the damage was not severe as only 12 percent of them were affected and told customers to blame ICPA for the inconveniences.

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