Extending support to agitating Jet Airways pilots, eight major trade unions have asked the airline management to take back the two pilots it had sacked and recognise the National Aviators Guild, which is spearheading the stir.
Jet Airways pilots have warned the management of agitation if the airline fails to offer a concrete plan on payment of arrears amounting to Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion) by August 20.
Jet Airways on Sunday denied having received any ultimatum from pilots that an agitation would be launched if the airline fails to offer by August 20 a time-bound plan to clear arrears stated to about Rs 100 crore (Rs 1 billion).
As its promoters finalise a stake sale deal with Gulf carrier Etihad, labour unrest seems to be brewing in Jet Airways with its engineers wearing black bands to protest an alleged move to freeze salary hikes and the pilots deciding to meet on the same issue shortly.
The agitation, which saw almost 400 pilots affiliated to NAG going on sick leave protesting dismissal of their colleagues and saw cancellation of 280 flights on Saturday, is expected to end soon with the pilots poised to resuming duty almost immediately.
Of 1,400 pilots the airline has, 200 have quit in the past few months because of salary delays.
The national carrier on Tuesday cancelled 37 of the 177 domestic flights and nine of the 21 international flights as more executive pilots reported 'sick'.
Controversies have perennially dogged Jet Airways. The latest tussle with the pilots has further dented the company's reputation, demoralised employees, inconvenienced thousands of passengers and resulted in losses running into crores for the beleaguered airline.
The airline assured passengers of the disrupted flights that they will get full refund of their tickets.
The employees gathered at terminal-1B and chanted slogans against the airlines' chief Naresh Goyal and Vijay Mallya, the chairman of Kingfisher Airlines. They also vented their ire against the government for not taking any action against the Jet Airways for sacking nearly 1,900 of its employees, mostly probationers and trainees.
The five-day-old strike by Jet Airways pilots ended on Saturday night as the airline management and the agitators reached a settlement under which the four sacked pilots would be reinstated and a consultative group made up of the two sides formed to resolve all issues.
At least 10 flights of Jet Airways and its subsidiary out of Delhi were cancelled on Tuesday as a large number of pilots did not report to work in protest against sacking of two of their colleagues, a move described as "sabotage of operation" by the airlines.
The government on Tuesday told the Rajya Sabha that it has not received any formal proposal for merger of Sahara Airlines with Jet Airways, leading to protests by Left members who asked the minister to clarify on the matter.
Over 150 domestic and overseas Jet Airways flights were cancelled after more than 400 pilots failed to report for work on the second day on Wednesday, leaving passengers stranded, even as the airline warned of stringent action if the cockpit crew did not call off the agitation.
Jet Airways Chairman Naresh Goyal on Wednesday said that he would have no option but to follow 'the law of the land' if an action had to be taken against the agitating pilots, while appealing to them to resolve the matter amicably and return to work. Meanwhile, Goyal met Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel in the wake of the agitation by the airline pilots.
The discussions with labour commissioner remained inconclusive. Meanwhile, ground staff of the airline issued an emotional appeal asking pilots to return to work.
The civil aviation ministry has asked airlines not to charge excessive fares from passengers in the wake of agitation by pilots of Jet Airways.Media reports said that following strike by Jet pilots, other airlines were charging an average of Rs 9,000-10,000 for Mumbai-Delhi route, while some are even charging up to Rs 15,000 per seat.
Pressured by low-cost carriers, the Federation of Indian Airlines has called off its decision to suspend domestic operations on August 18, two days after it was announced.
Air India said it had not hiked its fares or overcharged passengers in the wake of the agitation by Jet Airways pilots. It also said it would continue to maintain its fares at the pre-strike level.
Against the backdrop of objections by some MPs, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh on Tuesday strongly defended the Rs 2,058 crore (Rs 20.58 billion) Jet-Etihad deal, saying those opposing it were "long on politics and short on facts".
Air India said it has also written to the Shiv Sena communicating the decision to cancel the ticket. Shiv Sena Secretary Anil Desai said that he has asked Gaikwad to change his travel plans as the party doesn't want the tensions to escalate.
Despite various political leaders, including Haryana Chief Minister Manohar Lal Khattar appealing protesting Jats to maintain calm and peace, the incidents of violence and arson continued during the night in various parts of the state, crippling the normal life in worst affected places like Rohtak, Jind, Bhiwani, Jhajjar, Sonipat, Hisar.
It might have been the season of Basant Panchami, but for Pasbola it was definitely Halloween as he set about scaring the wits out of Rangwala, his tone growing harsher.
'It's like your own private Boeing 747 which you can fly yourself. This concept brings the aeroplane closer to passengers and opens the cockpit to everyone.'
Incidents of arson, firing and vandalism were reported from Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and Punjab as protesters agitated against the dilution of the SC/ST Act.
Why had the CBI decided to have Waghmare tell the court the tale surrounding this odd trip to Kolkata made for even odder reasons, close to a year-and-a-half after Sheena's murder? To show the kind of person Indrani was? And that the murder of her daughter was not a heat of the moment crime, given Indrani was capable of other odd, suspicious, premeditated acts like this?
The ripping off the lid, that Mekhail did, on the chain of episodes that lead up to his sister's murder, while condemning Indrani for her actions, for the first time, paradoxically, allowed a more human -- if flawed and complicated -- picture to emerge of Indrani, allegedly The Woman Who Killed Her Own Daughter and shocked a nation.
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