Passengers of Air India (AI) at Mumbai and other airports across the country must be prepared for delayed baggage and other inconveniences in the coming months as the AI employees’ union readies for a series of demonstrations and strikes to protest against the new ground-handling policy of the government.
The union is agitating against ground-handling contracts being awarded to foreign companies and National Aviation Company of India Limited (Nacil) being forced to form a joint-venture if the former wants to continue with ground services.
AI passengers will have to face inconvenience on Tuesday as the airline employees will walk out of the terminal to protest against the new ground-handling policy (GHP). The Civil Aviation Joint Action Front (Cajaf), formed from Air Corporation Employees’ Union (ACEU) and Aviation Industry Employees’ Guild (AIEG), will stage a demonstration outside the Santa Cruz terminal from 12.30 to 1 pm.
“This will affect baggage, cargo handling and catering services,” said an ACEU member.
The Cajaf, consisting of 8,000 employees from Mumbai and 12,000 across India, are protesting against Nacil being forced to form a joint venture with Sats (a subsidiary of Singapore Airlines) for ground-handling under the new ground handling policy that comes into force from January 2009.
Till now, Nacil (merged company of AI and Indian) was doing ground-handling (GH) for themselves and other international airlines. “Nacil earns Rs1,000 crore from GH of other airlines and does GH worth Rs1,500 crore for AI and Indian, which is for free. If we form a joint venture with Sats, we will have to give them 50% of these earnings,” says George Abraham, general secretary, AIEG.
