Air India hit by wildcat strike
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More than 20,000 Air India employees went on a nationwide wildcat strike last week to protest against an alleged ruling preventing staff from commenting on the recent plane crash in Mangalore. The airline was forced to cancel 50 domestic and international flights on Tuesday, while a further 76 services were affected yesterday, including flights to Singapore, Bangkok and Dubai.The national carrier denied it had issued any gagging order however, saying that employees had “misinterpreted” a previous directive. The company said it issued an order last year advising staff to “desist from going public with their statements that have the potential of harming the company’s revenue earning prospects”. The strike, which was declared illegal by Delhi’s High Court, ended on Thursday, having cost the struggling national carrier an estimated INR10 crore over the two days. Air India then took the decision to cancel all association with two major trade unions following their role in the strike. The Air Corporation Employees’ Union (ACEU) and All India Aircraft Engineers’ Association (AIAEA) will no longer be recognised by the National Aviation Company of India Ltd (NACIL).
Civil Aviation Minister, Praful Patel, was reported saying the striking employees were “absolutely irresponsible”.
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