Air India employees to go on 3-day hunger-strike

Angry over delay in payment of their salaries by cash-strapped Air India management, over 20,000 members of airlines' employee's unions have decided to go on a three-day hunger strike from Tuesday.

"Over 20,000 members of Aviation Industry Employees Guild and Air Corporation Employees Union and some other unions from across the nation have decided to go on hunger strike from today, as the management is rigid over payment of our salaries," J B Kadian, general secretary ACEU told PTI.

The employees threatened that they would again strike work on August 31 if their negotiations with the management fail.

"For the past two months, we have been working for betterment of the airlines, but the management is adamant on the 50 per cent cut in our salaries. It is not acceptable to us," Kadian said, adding "salary is our right and it is government's duty to pay us and no CMD or minister can unilaterally decide on a cut."

Movement of flights in some airports may be adversely affected.

Earlier, in July the employees had gone on a strike for two hours and staged demonstrations over the same issue.

The meeting of the unions with the Air India CMD last Friday at the Air India headquarters in Mumbai failed and the next round of meeting is scheduled for Tuesday afternoon.