Even as Air India sacked 58 employees and de-recognised two unions on Thursday for going on an 'illegal' two-day strike, the airline's union leaders have threatened to go on another strike from June 12.
In an unprecedented move, the national carrier has also suspended 24 others, including 15 engineers, so far, airline sources said.
Meanwhile, accusing Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel of being responsible for the state of affairs in Air India, the CPI(M) has demanded the immediate revocation of the order to derecognise the unions and sacking of employees for going on a flash strike.
The services of 58 staffers, including all office-bearers of the Air Corporation Employees Union (ACEU) and All India Aircraft Engineers Association (AIAEA), have been terminated, they said.
Since Wednesday night, the airline management has been busy sending termination and suspension notices and locking up the offices of the two unions all over the country, they said, adding that caveats have been moved in some courts to prevent any ex-parte decision if the unions challenge the step.
Adopting a tough stand, the management has issued notices to end recognition to the two unions which led the two-day strike that disrupted flights in the aftermath of the Mangalore air crash, one of the major disasters that struck the national carrier.
However, the Union labour and employment ministry has maintained that the suspension and termination of services of Air India employees would not be applicable when the conciliation process at the level of Chief Labour Commissioner was going on, a ministry source said.
ACEU general secretary J B Kadiyan had also said on Wednesday evening that the CLC has given in writing that no party can resort to any unilateral action like this, when the conciliation process was underway.
The unions had gone on a flash strike 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 management, however, clarified there is only one general circular and that there was no 'gag order'.
The strike was called off yesterday after the Delhi High Court restrained the agitating employees from continuing the stir and the government talked tough giving a free hand to the management to deal with them.
Though Air India has taken measures in the past to quell unrest, this is the first time that such a large number of employees have been sacked.
In 1974, the office bearers of the Indian Pilots Guild, S S Nadkarni, D S Mathur and H S Hirani were sacked by Air India, under the chairmanship of J R D Tata, over introduction of the 'slip system' and abolishing of the bases in London and New York.
Introduction of the slip system required that the cockpit crew would operate to New York and back after necessary rest periods at London and New York, instead of being based at both the places.
But they were taken back in the airline after nearly four years and Mathur subsequently took over as managing director in February 1994, former airline officials said.
In the second instance, the Indian Pilots' Guild went on strike over the SARS issue which snowballed and led to the de-registration of the Guild and sacking of its then general secretary Capt Sansare.
Another case in India's civil aviation sector was sacking of the office-bearers of the Air Traffic Control Guild when they went on an indefinite strike. The case went on for several years, with most of them being finally taken back.
CPI-M wants sacked employees reinstated
Accusing Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel of being responsible for the state of affairs in Air India, the CPI(M) on Thursday demanded immediate evocation of the order to derecognise the unions and sacking of employees for going on a flash strike.
Maintaining that Air India CMD has been "refusing to have any dialogue" with the employees for several months, the party Politburo said, "The role of Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel is also responsible for the present state of affairs in Air India."
It said the airline management was "solely responsible for the inconvenience to the passengers" as it has not been holding talks with the unions and also issued a 'gag order' that "provoked the spontaneous strike action".
Expressing "grave concern at the vindictive attitude of the Air India management" in sacking and suspending a large number of employees even after they called off the strike, the CPI(M) said the management also "arbitrarily" withdrew the recognition of Air Corporation Employees Union "without assigning any reason".
The party demanded immediate revocation of the termination and suspension orders against the union activists and sought the restoration of recognition of the ACEU.
