AI cabin crew union's delegation meets Sharad Pawar

After threatening the management with a strike call from April 2 over non-payment of salaries, a section of the Air India unions is busy soliciting political support, and has met with NCP chief and Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar.

Air India Cabin Crew Association has taken the initiative to garner political support. The development came a day after eight of the 13 unions wrote to the Prime Minister, seeking his immediate intervention.

According to the Association sources, a delegation met Pawar yesterday in Delhi and apprised him of the plight of AI employees who have not been paid salaries and incentives since last October.

The Cabin Crew Association delegates were accompanied by six MPs -- three from Maharashtra (Sanjeev Naik, Sameer Bhujbal and Kiran Pawaskar, all from NCP) and three from Kerala (N Peethambara Kurup, PT Thomas and Jose K Mani).

Pawaskar is the senior president of Air India Employees Union and also a patron of the Cabin Crew Association.

The Association claimed that Pawar promised to look into the issue.

The All-India Cabin Crew Association is a part of the joint forum comprising Indian Pilots Guild, Air India Employees Union, Air India Service Engineers Association, Air India Aircraft Maintenance Engineers Association, Air India Officers Association and Air Corporations Employees Union which together represent almost 20,000 of the 33,000 employees of the debt-laden airline.