Following a Delhi High Court order, the strike by a section of Air India employees was called off today. Employees were striking for the last 33 hours  protesting against a ‘gag order’ on members for talking to the media after Saturday’s air crash in Mangalore and ‘delay’ in payment of salaries.

The Air Corporation Employees Union (ACEU), and All India Aircraft Engineers Association (AIAEA) announced that the strike has ended and said the striking staff will resume work with immediate effect.

“Following the intervention of Chief Labour Commissioner and in the interest of traveling public, the ACEU is calling off the agitation. Our rank and file has been asked to restore normalcy as soon as possible. The AIAEA is also calling off the stir,” ACEU leader J B Kadiyan told the press.

Earlier today, the AI management continued cracking down on strike leaders sacking 17 and suspending 15 engineers. Management will take action against several more employees involved in the strike which began yesterday afternoon and disrupted hundreds of flights.  Up to 100 employees are likely to be either terminated or suspended, highly-placed sources said tonight.

But ACEU leader Kadiyan claimed that the Chief Labour Commissioner S K Mukhopadhyay has given in writing that no victimization can take place if conciliation process is on.

Air India CMD Arvind Jadhav said, welcoming the employees’ decision to call of the strike,  ”We want NACIL to become a professional, accountable and disciplined organization. The Management is trying to ensure discipline…We are grateful to the Government of India for backing us.”

[Source: PTI]