New Delhi, February 4
After much drama, threats, clashes and finally a written assurance by the Union Civil Aviation Minister, Mr Praful Patel, the Airport Authority of India’s (AAI) employees today called off their four-day old strike.
The standoff between the government and the employees had resulted in the Delhi and Mumbai airports, which are to be modernised, turning virtually into a garbage yard with passengers facing severe hardships. However, flight schedules were barely affected by the stir as the ATC officials did not join the protest.
Mr Patel, in his meeting with the AAI employees, gave a written assurance that the government would go into the issue of workers' job security following the modernisation.
“In view of the assurances given by the government, I, as the convener, call off the strike,” Mr M. K. Ghosal, convener of the Airports Authority of India Employees Joint Forum, announced at a gathering of striking workers in front of the Delhi airport.
The agitating workers were expected to join duty according to their shifts with an immediate effect, forum leaders said.
At the 90-minute-long meeting with forum leaders, Mr Patel gave a written undertaking that the government will set up a tripartite committee to go into the issues and proposals of modernisation of airports by the Airports Authority of India and employees-related issues, including their job security.
The committee will comprise representatives of the Civil Aviation Ministry, the AAI and the joint forum (of employees).
The letter said: “ In addition, it is also made clear that there will be no victimisation of any kind for participation in the agitation.”
Mr Patel said: “I hope this letter will assuage the feelings of all those connected with the agitation and necessary steps will be taken to end the stalemate immediately.”
The meeting was attended from the employees’ side by Mr Ghosal, CPI MP and AITUC General Secretary Gurudas Dasgupta and CITU President M. K. Pandhe.
Mr Dasgupta said he was satisfied with the assurances of the government. Earlier, the employees had announced to continue the strike as a protest against the police action last night to evict workers protesting outside the Delhi airport.
“ The standoff has arisen due to the provocative attitude of the government as evident from the police action carried out on protesting workers at the Airport here last night,” CPI General Secretary A. B. Bardhan said.
The strike, however, brought out the differences within the Left parties, with smaller parties like the AIFB and the RSP criticising the big brothers, CPM and CPI, for reducing an “honourable settlement” to job
security only, when the Left parties had infact been protesting against privatisation of airports.
The forum leaders had yesterday met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, who appealed to the employees to return to work in the national interest. The workers had decided to go on a flash strike immediately after an empowered Group of Ministers cleared proposals for the modernisation of the Delhi and Mumbai airports by private consortia on Tuesday.
