Air India pilots to end their 58-day-old strike

New Delhi, Jul 3 (PTI) The 58-day protracted strike by Air India pilots may be nearing its end after the Delhi High Court today asked them to join duty within 48 hours and the management to sympathetically consider their grievances. A formal decision on calling off the strike will be taken by the managing committee in Mumbai, sources in the Indian Pilots Guild, which is spearheading the agitation, said. The IPG statement came after its counsel, Geeta Luthra, told the court that the striking pilots numbering 434 will join their duties in 48 hours. Lalit Bhasin, counsel for the airlines management, said, "Due to the kind intervention of the Hon'ble High Court Justice Reva Khetrapal, the strike has been unconditionally called off with immediate effect." During the two-hour long proceedings, the judge said the pilots are not "goondas or criminal elements. You consider their grievances after talking to them." "The senior counsel (Luthra) appearing for the pilots has said that her clients will immediately call off the strike and join their duties in 48 hours, by giving joining reports or the report expressing their willingness to join the duty. "The AI management shall sympathetically consider the grievances of the pilots including the aspect of reinstatement of those pilots whose services were terminated as a consequence to their strike," Justice Khetrapal said while disposing of the pilots' plea for a direction to the management to take back the 101 sacked pilots, including 10 IPG office bearers. In Mumbai, the IPG welcomed the court's order. "The court has made very positive observations. It has said that all pilots should be taken back and no distinction should be made between those sacked and others. We are happy with the court's observations," IPG joint secretary Tauseef Mukadamn said. The pilots went on strike on May 7 over demands for better career progression. The airlines management took a tough stand sacking 101 pilots including 10 office bearers of the IPG which was also derecognised. PTI