Air India sacks 10 pilots, derecognizes union

New Delhi/Mumbai, May 8 (IANS) Cracking the whip, Air India Tuesday sacked 10 pilots who went on mass sick leave against the plan to provide Boeing-787 Dreamliner training to those from the erstwhile Indian Airlines, and also derecognised the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG).

'We have sacked 10 pilots who are first officers. IGP has been derecognised and its Mumbai office will be seized,' a senior Air India official told IANS, adding that the pilots were from New Delhi and Mumbai.

'We have sent doctors to the houses of pilots who have reported sick and are monitoring the situation closely. Doctors will also provide us with an assessment report of the health of our pilots. No international flight operations have been affected in any way.'

According to the official, the action comes as the airline was already under tremendous financial stress and any strike in the given situation would worsen prospects of a turnaround.

'We are trying very hard to get out of the financial problems we are in. We have said again and again that we are willing to talk and discuss all issues. But going on mass sick leave to make a point will hurt the company bad.

'We have not set a deadline for the pilots to return. But we will not wait for this kind of action to permanently hurt the airline's image,' he added.

The action by pilots has come at a critical juncture. The airline is hoping to retrieve lost ground with the peak vacation season and had secured a whopping Rs.42,000 crore bailout package.

IPG is the pilots union of Air India prior to its merger with Indian Airlines.

The pilots have been agitating against the flag carrier's plans to provide training to Indian Airlines pilots on the Boeing-787 Dreamliner which are to be inducted shortly.

The pilots have also been demanding parity in pay and grade.

The mass sick leave began began midnight with around 100 pilots reporting 'sick', forcing the airline to cancel four international flights from Mumbai and New Delhi.

Civil minister Ajit Singh also slammed the agitation calling it illegal.

'There are certain ways of even going on strike. The pilots may have grievances but they should have spoken to the management, to me and other well wishers,' he said.

'How can they (pilots) go on strike when Air India is on the path of recovery and when it is not out of the woods?'