Relief for expatriates; Air India-cabin crew dispute reach detente

NEW DELHI: The cabin crew protests in Air India are showing signs of reaching a détente soon. In a discussion between employees and the management mediated by the Delhi Labor Commissioner, a decision was reached to end the strike soon.

The union demanded the workers dismissed be taken back. An agreement was reached to end the strike by accepting this demand. The chief HR of the Air India Express participated in the meeting which began at 2:30 pm on Thursday in the Dwarka labour office and went on till late evening hours.

Earlier, Air India Express had dismissed 30 cabin crew members who participated in the strike. The company had earlier assessed the strike to be a preplanned one. 300 cabin crew members took sick leave en masse and 86 services were suspended on Wednesday. More than 10,000 passengers were stranded due to the decision. The journey of many people, including those from Kerala to the Gulf, has been halted. These also had people whose visas were to expire shortly and emergency travellers. The passengers came to know about the cancellation of the service only when they reached the airport.