AI pilot accuses guild of foul play

Captain V K Bhalla calls pilot association a management stooge and says it struck a deal without pushing for pilots' demands

All is not well between Air India (AI) pilots and those leading its association, the Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA).

Though the ICPA struck a deal with the Air India management to end a threat by pilots to go on an indefinite strike from today, pilots believe the ICPA has not done enough.

Influenced

Captain V K Bhalla, who is leading the pilots with their demands, has alleged that the top ICPA leadership is a stooge of the Air India management.

"The management did not accept a single demand during its meeting with the ICPA on Sunday. They only said they will pay our dues in installments and did not even specify the time," said an irked Bhalla.



He added, "How could the ICPA do this? They were sent to put forth our demands, but acted under the influence of the management. It looks like there is a conspiracy against the pilots."

Bhalla also criticised the Air India management saying, "It talks about shortage of funds, but has grounded two A330s for the last two weeks without a reason. This results in a loss of crores."

Air India Executive Director Jitendra Bhargava said, "The pilots have decided against going on strike. No decision has been taken on the full reimbursement of allowances."

The Other Side

ICPA president Shailendra Singh said, "We did not attend the meeting to put forth the specific demands of the executive pilots.

If they feel they are not satisfied with the developments, they can still go on a strike. We are not concerned with what Bhalla has to say on the issue."

Losing Jobs

According to sources, some pilots feared they could lose their jobs if they did not follow the management's decision.
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"It is not the ICPA's decision, but that of some select pilots who did not want to go against the management," said an AI pilot.

1,200
The number of Air India pilots, of which more than 35 per cent are executive pilots

350
AI executive pilots went on a five-day sick leave in September