Passengers stranded as Indian airline employees go on strike

Scores of passengers were stranded at Delhi and Mumbai airports due to the ongoing strike conducted by around 13,000 employees of Indian airline from Tuesday night.

Mumbai / New Delhi, June 13 : Scores of passengers were stranded at Delhi and Mumbai airports due to the ongoing strike conducted by around 13,000 employees of Indian airline from Tuesday night.

A spokesman for the airline said all the 15 flights scheduled till 8.00 p.m. from Delhi had operated but flights from Kolkata, Mumbai, Chennai have been disrupted."It is so difficult for us since we have come here to receive our children. There are no announcements to inform us on the whereabouts of the passengers," said P. K. Pandey, a resident.

Check-in staff, ticketing staff, baggage handlers and loaders are all on strike, and are demanding higher wages.

The airline workers carried flags and banners, and raised slogans in front of Delhi and Mumbai airport. According to the striking employees, their arrear is pending for a long time.

Air Corporation Employees' Union Assistant Secretary Sudhir Vagad said their meeting with the management on Tuesday proved inconclusive and the strike will continue till their demands were met.He said the management had gone back on the promise of wage revision, promotion policy and clearance of arrears."For the last 10 years, our charter of demands has not been met with. Career progression is also one of our main demands since the merger with Air India has already taken place. In Air India, their employees got the career progression. On the contrary, when this merger happens, in the merged entity we will be deprived of that," said Vagad.However, a spokesman of the airline declared the strike as 'illegal and unlawful'.

The Civil Aviation Ministry officials had earlier said that the government had set out broad guidelines for workers' compensation after the proposed merger of Air India and Indian Airlines, expected in July this year.

ANI