AI sets up committee to examine sacked pilots' reinstatement

Air India (AI) management has set up a committee to look into reinstatement of pilots, whose services were terminated during the recent strike, on case by case basis, the Delhi High Court was on Friday informed.

Submitting a report before Justice Reva Khetrapal, conciliation officer Deputy Chief Labour Commissioner (CLC) S K Chand said conciliation proceedings were held between Air India management and its pilots on day-to-day basis following court's July 9 order.

In the report, the officer said that during the proceeding, the management had informed that with regard to the pilots' demand for reinstatement of sacked pilots, a committee has been constituted which will examine the individual request of the sacked pilots on case by case basis.

"The management representatives submitted that in connection with the demand of reinstatement of terminated pilots, it may be stated that a Committee has been constituted," Chand said in the report claiming that prolonged discussions were held between the parties in a very conducive atmosphere.

As per the report, the committee would comprise of senior executives K M Unni, SBO Head-MRO (Airframe), N K Jainn Director (Personnel), R Harihar, ED (Projects) and ED (IR and I).

"The said committee will examine the individual request of the terminated pilots on case to case basis. The terminated pilots are required to send the request letter/application for considering their cases," the report said.

Earlier, the Air India Management counsel had told the court that the issue of re-instatement shall be considered sympathetically.

Justice Khetrapal accepted the conciliation report and posted the matter for July 16.

The report also submitted that the Indian Pilots'Guild (IPG), the pilots union, reiterate that all pilots be re-instated on urgent basis without any discrimination.

As per the report, the Deputy CLC has requested the management that "the entire process of examination of the representations should be completed by the Committee at the earliest but not later than 23 July, 2012".

"The management is also requested to consider all the cases of termination of pilots equally sympathetically and without any discrimination in the light of High Court direction given on July 3 and July 9, 2012," the report stated.

In the conciliation proceedings held from July 10 to 12, the management representatives assured Chand that the cases of terminated pilots will be considered sympathetically.

The court during an earlier hearing had asked the management to consider the reinstatement of pilots but the management had told the court the issue will be considered "sympathetically" on case by case basis.

The pilots having allegiance to the IPG called off their 58-day-old stir after the Air India management counsel had on July 3 assured the high court that it would "sympathetically" consider their grievances, including the reinstatement of the 101 sacked pilots.