CITU warns Govt. against signing OMDA on Mumbai, Delhi airports

New Delhi, Apr 1 (UNI) The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) today warned the Government against signing the Operations Management and Development Agreement (OMDA) with winning bidders for the modernisation of Delhi and Mumbai airports.

''I would urge you not to take any such hasty step which may, in the midst of negotiations in the tripartite committee (formed in the wake of the employee strike last February), lead to further confrontation with the airport employees,'' CITU President M K Pandhe said in a letter to Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel.

Expressing shock that the Government was ''unilaterally'' signing the OMDA even before receiving the committee's report, he asked the minister to immediately take ''necessary steps to avoid a serious industrial relations problem'' in the aviation sector.

Mr Pandhe argued that the tripartite committee was formed last February to look into the ''issues of proposals for modernising the airports by the AAI and employees' related issues including job security'' and give its report to the Government in three months.

Yet, the Civil Aviation Ministry has been refusing to discuss the issue of proposals of modernisation of the airports given by the Airports Authority of India, thus creating a stalemate at the committee meetings, he said.

The purpose of forming the tripartite committee would be lost as participation of the employees as a major stakeholder in restructuring of airports was vital for the future of AAI as a whole, he said, opposing the proposed signing of the OMDA on April 4 between the AAI and the successful bidders.

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