Split in Air India Employees Union

Mumbai, Aug 2 (UNI) The breakaway faction of Air India Employees Union (AIEU) today elected Kiran Pawaskar as President, and Parag Ajgaonkar and R A Mani as Vice President and General Secretary respectively here.

''As the union led by Sharad Rao has failed to get several long-pending isues concerning thousands of employees with the Air India management resolved, we decided to chart our own course,'' Mr Pawaskar told reporters after being elected at a function held at the Air India building Gate here today.

He claimed to have the the support of 5,000 members.

Recently, a faction of the 12,000 strong AIEU, which is being headed by NCP leader Sharad Rao, had broken away, and announced its affliation with the Sena-supported trade union, Bharatiya Kamgar Sena (BKS).

The air employees' bodies that joined the BKS were the Air India Cabin Crew Association, Air India Employees' Union, Air India Engineers' Association, Air India Executive Cabin Crew Association and Air India Service Engineers' Association.

UNI