Air India Pilots to Call off 58-day Strike

New Delhi, Jul 3 (IANS): Air India's striking pilots Tuesday assured the Delhi High Court that they would call off their 58-day agitation immediately.

Appearing for the pilots, senior advocate Geeta Luthra told Justice Reva Khetrapal that the pilots would immediately call off the strike and join their respective duties within 48 hours.

The striking pilots will have to give joining reports and terminated pilots will have to give "willingness to join duty" report to the Air India management within 48 hours.

The pilots' decision to end the strike came after the Air India management assured the court that it would "sympathetically" consider their grievances.

"The Air India management shall sympathetically consider the grievances of pilots, including the aspects of reinstatement of those pilots whose service has been terminated consequent to this strike," the judge said.

"Serious effort has been made by this court to settle the dispute. Counsel for both the parties have assured this court that they will be extending full corporation in this regard to their respective client," Justice Khetrapal said while disposing of the plea of the striking pilots.

The court also told the pilots and Air India management to appear before the concilliation officer, Chief Labour Commissioner N.K. Prasad, on July 5 at 4.30 p.m.

The court posted the matter for July 9 to submit the report by concilliation officer.

Air India pilots owing allegiance to the Indian Pilots Guild (IPG) have been on strike for nearly two months. On Monday, they moved the court saying that the members were ready to resume their services if Air India adopted a more humane nature and was ready to discuss their grievances.

About 440 pilots struck work May 7 against the Air India management's move to train pilots from the erstwhile Indian Airlines in the merged entity on the soon-to-be-inducted Boeing-787 Dreamliner. Air India and Indian Airlines merged into a single entity in 2007.