AI workers to protest against delayed salaries

Air India employees, including pilots, will be wearing black armbands from Friday onwards as part of their protest over delay in payment of salaries and alleged corruption in the state-run carrier.

The Joint Forum of Unions, Associations and Guilds of Air India has decided to undertake protest from Friday by wearing black armbands, a JFUAGAI spokesperson said in Mumbai. The forum, which has written to Union Civil Aviation Minister Vayalar Ravi about their decision, is undertaking the step to protest delay in payment of salaries and "mismanagement" in running the national carrier, he said.

The JFUAGAI is an umbrella organisation of Air India employees represented by Indian Pilots'' Guild (IPG), Indian Commercial Pilots'' Association (ICPA), Indian Aircraft Technicians'' Association), All India Service Engineers'' Association, Aviation Industry Employees'' Guild, Air India Employees'' Union, Air India Aircraft Engineers'' Association, Airlines Radio Officers'' & Flight Operations Officers'' Association, Air India Cabin Crew Association and Indian Airlines Officers'' Association.

In a related development, ICPA General Secretary Rishabh Kapoor has been asked to stop flying aircraft. "This is because, he (Kapoor) had written to the authorities recently that non-payment of salaries to Air India pilots had resulted in a lot of stress," he said.