Indian employees defer their proposed strike

Mumbai, May 17 (UNI) Air Corporation Employees' Union (ACEU) today decided to defer their proposed strike for a week, after an assurance by the Chief Labour Commissioner S K Mukhopadhaya.

''After a meeting of the Union leaders with the Chief Labour Commissioner in New Delhi today, we have decided to put off our proposed strike from tomorrow,'' A T Raj, Regional Secretary, ACEU told UNI today.

According to Raj, the Chief Labour Commissioner assured the leaders that the Commission will take up their long-pending demands with the Airlines management.

Earlier, the Union had decided to go on mass casual leave tomorrow to press for their long-pending demands, which include payment of arrears from 1997.

The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) had also extended full support to the agitational programme of the employees of Indian Airlines including mass casual leave on their demand of payment of arrears.

CITU also called upon the Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel to immediately intervene so that the 'genuine demands' of the Indian Airlines employees are met and a crisis is averted.

Pick up suitably from earlier series.

UNI