This Article is From May 05, 2011

After pilots, Air India cabin crew now demands pay parity

After pilots, Air India cabin crew now demands pay parity
Mumbai: In fresh trouble for the crippled Air India management, the All India Cabin Crew Association (AICCA) today demanded immediate implementation of the merger agreements, including better pay and fixed flying hours, besides a Joint Parliamentary Committee (JPC) probe into alleged corruption in the airline.

"We want a JPC probe into the rampant corruption running at levels in the airline. We want a JPC to look into the merger of the two carriers, questionable aircraft deals, transfer of bilaterals, privatisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports and the land scams behind them," AICCA general secretary Sanjay Lazar said here today.

"We support the pilots' demand for parity of emoluments in both the carriers, as our cabin crew members in erstwhile Indian Airlines are being discriminated against, and we demand enhancement of our emoluments too, along with 80 hours of guaranteed flying allowance for all. All the AKA agreements must also be made binding on them," he said. (Read: Official statement of the Air India cabin crew)

However, Lazar said he is against the ongoing strike and appealed to the pilots to call off their agitation, which entered the ninth day today, immediately in the interest of the airline.

"The airline just cannot afford a strike now," Lazar told PTI and stressed that their demand is not a strike threat. "We are against striking work to meet our demands."

"The suspension of the bilateral agreements of crew is both illegal and unwarranted, and we shall not stand by silently but take legal recourse to remedy them," Lazar said, adding that the association was "frustrated" as domestic crew have not been paid their April salary.
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