Air India pilots continue hunger strike; urge PM, Sonia to intervene

New Delhi -  The agitating Air India pilots' on Saturday urged Prime Minister Dr. Manmohan Singh and Congress President Sonia Gandhi to intervene to end the impasse.

Despite the worsening heath of the fasting pilots, they continued their indefinite hunger strike on the seventh day here.

Jamshed Menon, one of the protesting pilots, accused the management of Air India of mismanagement.

"Four people are still on strike for the seventh day. It is sad to say that there is no news from our management and the minister. I want to request the Prime Minister and Sonia Gandhi to intervene and give instructions so that the fasting pilots get some relief," said Menon.

Meanwhile, Abhishek Jaiswal, a doctor, briefing about the deteriorating health of the pilots said that they should end their strike.

"The blood pressure and pulse rate of the fasting pilots have become low. I would like to request them to end their hunger strike as their heath condition might become critical by evening," he said.

Air India pilots have so far remained adamant on their demands related to career progression and demanded 'justice' from the government.

The protesting pilots said that they want to return to work along with all their colleagues. However, they want that the government to first look into all their demands.

Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh had earlier on Monday termed the indefinite hunger strike by a section of agitating Air India pilots to be illegal, and urged them to join their duties with immediate effect.

"The place of a pilot is in the cockpit, not on a strike. They should fly the passengers. They have got experience and a good job. There is no issue. Why don't they return to work?" asked Singh.

In a bid to mount pressure on the government to come to the negotiating table, 11 striking pilots of Air India went on an indefinite hunger strike here earlier on Sunday, seeking the reinstatement of 101 sacked pilots and recognition of the Indian Pilots' Guild (IPG).

The Air India pilots stir was to highlight their demands for career progression and other issues such as training of pilots from the erstwhile Indian Airlines (that was merged with Air India) to fly the Boeing-787 Dreamliner aircraft, to be procured shortly.

The pilots said that the management had refused to have a dialogue with them; as such this was one of the ways to draw the attention of the concerned authorities to end the impasse.

Pilots have stated that they would go back to work, if the management must takes back all the pilots and start discussion with the unions so that normalcy can be restored.