Air India to meet unions on Monday, discuss proposed privatisation

Air India’s largest union, Air Corporation Employees Union (ACEU) had at its executive committee meeting in Hyderabad earlier this month, decided to launch a “united struggle” against privatisation bid which has already failed twice in the past.

Air India management has called a meeting of its trade unions on Monday to discuss the proposed privatisation, which they have been opposed to and term as fraught with “disastrous” consequences, a source said on Friday. The meeting has been called at the airline’s headquarters in New Delhi, the source said. The development comes amid the government mulling to issue a preliminary information memorandum (PIM) early next month, which will lay the road map for its exit from the core aviation business.

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“Air India chairman Ashwani Lohani has called a meeting of all trade unions, including of the pilots, engineers and officers on Monday in New Delhi to discuss the issue of privatisation,” the source privy to the information told PTI. This would be the second meeting between the airline management and its trade unions over the contentious issue of privatisation in the last three months. These unions are Air Corporation Employees Union, Air India Employees Union, Indian Airlines Technicians Association, All-India Aircraft Engineers Association, Indian Commercial Pilots Association, Indian Pilots Guild, Air India Aircraft Engineers Association, Air India Cabin Crew Association, Air India Engineers Association, Aviation Industry Employees Guild, All-India Service Engineers Association and United Air India Officers Association.

The unions have vehemently been opposing the privatisation bid on the ground that such amove will lead to massive job losses. Air India’s largest union, Air Corporation Employees Union (ACEU) had at its executive committee meeting in Hyderabad earlier this month, decided to launch a “united struggle” against privatisation bid which has already failed twice in the past.

“The decision (to privatise Air India) taken at the political level is fraught with disastrous consequences both from the point of view of the civil aviation sector as well in the interest of nation,” the union had informed its members, adding they fear that the government wants to sell the airline to a private party “for a song”.