AI asks pilots union to maintain peace

Air India has asked one of its pilots unions to maintain peace and harmony in the interest of the carrier while clarifying that the decision to remove commanders from workmen category was taken by the labour ministry and not by the airline management.
Indian Commercial Pilots Association (ICPA), one of the pilots unions of Air India, had yesterday directed all its members to stick to mandated duty hours and not to accept any request for extension.
"You have mentioned in your communication that Air India management has taken the law into their hand by issuing the said notification. This is not at all correct as the clarification has been given by the Ministry of Labour and Employment and has been conveyed by Air India management to all concerned," Air India Executive Director for Personnel and Industrial Relations Deepa Mahajan said in a letter to ICPA General Secretary T Parveen Keerthi yesterday.

The notification dated August 28 was issued giving the clarification that the decision was taken by the Ministry of Labour and Employment regarding differentiation between the pilots (pilot-in-command and co-pilot), she said.
"You are requested to maintain peace and harmony in the interest of organisation as a whole," Mahajan said.
ICPA, which has a strength of 670 erstwhile Indian Airlines pilots, in a separate communication to Air India director for operations had alleged that "its members were under immense stress due to the management's habitual way of breaking the law and total mismanagement".
"The frequent changes in programmed flights and pull outs at short notice due to the acute shortage of pilots are adding to the already increased stress levels leading to severe fatigue conditions endangering flight safety," it had said.