Indian staff to go on mass CL tomorrow

Mumbai, May 17 (UNI) With Air Corporation Employees' Union (ACEU) not budging an inch from their demands, nearly 13,000 employees of the Indian Airlines are all set to go on mass casual leave tomorrow.

Besides pay parity, the employees are demanding payment of arrears from January 1, 1997, while the Indian Airlines management wants to pay them arrears for the last five years only.

''The rampant discrimination, and 'step-motherly' treatment meted to Indian Airlines employees has forced us to take the path of confrontation,'' ACEU regional secretary A T Raj said today.

Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel, during his several rounds of meeting with the ACEU, had promised parity in all aspects including salary structure while espousing the merger of Indian Airlines and Air India, Mr Raj said.

''However, now we feel that the promise by the Minister seems like a mirage, more so when the Ministr has failed to approve the amount of arrears arising out of the wage settlement from Januray 1, 1997, which was put across by none other than the Indian Airlines management itself,'' he said.

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