Airport union to go on hunger strike

Passengers can expect chaos at the domestic airport on Tuesday with the Airport Authority Employees Union (AAEU), a union of the Airport Authority of India (AAI), going on a mass hunger strike across the country. 

The employees have demanded that they should not be transferred from the now privatised Mumbai and Delhi airports. “We also want other pending issues like — wage revision of 2007, family pension scheme, and filling up of vacant posts to be addressed by the civil aviation ministry,” said Dilip Gujar, assistant general secretary, AAEU.

The strike might affect operations on conveyor belts, aerobridges, and safety services. The strike will be from 10am to 5pm. Around 18,000 employees working at 135 airports across India will join the strike.  “If our demands are not met today, we will go on a relay hunger strike,” Gujar said.

Around 2,200 non-executive staff from Mumbai will join the strike. MIAL spokesperson Manish Kalghatgi said, “We have not been informed about the strike.

But we don’t foresee any effect on operations. If required, we might call in armed forces to handle emergency services.”