Air India sale: Employees stage protest against privatisation

We appeal to the govt not to go for privatisation, we are always ready to turnaround Air India: ACEU

A section of Air India employees today staged protest against the government's decision to privatise the national carrier, saying they were always ready for turnaround of the airline.

Around 300 employees, associated with the Air Corporation's Employees Union (ACEU), gathered outside the Air India office near the Indira Gandhi International airport here.

They chanted slogans opposing the decision taken by the Union Cabinet last month approving disinvestment of Air India.

The ACEU is the biggest union of Air India employees and represents nearly 8,000 of the total 24,000 staff members. It is a grouping of non-technical staff of the airline.

"We appeal to the government of India not to go for privatisation and disinvestment of Air India. We are always ready to turnaround Air India," the ACEU said in its statement.

The union also plans to hold similar protests in Mumbai, Hyderabad, Kolkata, Chennai later this month, according to a union member.