The National Aviators Guild (NAG), a body of pilots belonging to Jet Airways has decided to withdraw its proposed strike protesting against the sacking of two of their senior colleagues by the airline’s management. However, more than 600 pilots of the airline and its low-cost subsidiary JetLite have gone on mass casual leave on Tuesday jeopardising the airline’s operations across the country.
The sudden move by the pilots has led to the cancellation of around ten morning flights with the airline accommodating the passengers on flights of other airlines.
The airline, in a statement said, ‘This organised activity is a planned sabotage of operations that will damage the airline’s operations and inconvenience the travelling public’.
Jet Airways had last month terminated the services of two of its senior most pilots after the duo along with others formed a trade union in the company. The union, which gave a strike call from midnight on Monday to protest the airline’s move and demanded the reinstatement of the pilots.
Following the strike notice on the management, the issue was referred to the regional labour commissioner. Meanwhile, the regional labour commissioner stated that any strike by the pilots during the course of conciliation, would be deemed an illegal act.