Jet: Central TUs seek PM, Labour Minister's intervention

New Delhi, Oct 16 (UNI) Enraged by the "illegal and atrocious" sacking of the Jet Airways' employees, the central trade unions today resolved to take up the issue with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh even as the government said that it is not in a postion to intervene in the matter.

They will also call on Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes and seek the Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel's intervention.

The decision to sack the employees by the private Jet Airways has become a hot political issue with the Maharashtra Navnirman Sena threatening to halt the airlines operations in Maharashtra if the dismissed staffers were not taken back and the Left seeking the government's immediate intervention to reinstate the victims.

Science and Technology Minister Kapil Sibal told newspersons while briefing about the Cabinet decisions that the government is not in a position to intervene in the Jet Airways decision to lay off 1,900 employees working in various operational areas, saying that the decision was entirely a matter relating to the economics of the private airline.

" We will meet them tomorrow to impress upon them that they prevail upon the Jet Airways' management that this is not the way...

it should tighten the belt somewhere and not sack the workers," senior Left leader and AITUC General Secretary Gurudas Dasgupta told UNI.

Senior CPI(M) leader and party Deputy leader in the Lok Sabha Mohammad Salim said they would raise the issue during the extended session of Parliament, beginning tomorrow as the private airline is not at all in losses." The move is nothing but to siphon out public money." Demanding immediate intervention of the government, Mr Dasgupta said this could ''not be allowed in our country. Dr Manmohan Singh, Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel and Mr Fernandes must intervene.'' The CITU asked the Labour Ministry to direct the company for immediate withdrawal of the dismissal orders. All Jet Airways flights should be grounded pending such withdrawal of orders, it added.

The CPI(M) leader cautioned that today the employees have been sacked, tomorrow the passengers would be victimised." Actually there are no losses... there is something very wrong in the management and the financing pattern." Mr Salim said the company's whole idea was to make it a big cartel. Now the government, he said, should take a cue before further jumping in the process of privatisation, liberalisation and globalisaton and opening up sector and sector for so-called FDIs and the FIIs." The government must put in place a strict regulatory authority." The government should also realise as to why the corporate sector was asking for ' hire and fire' policy, he said adding their only motive is to earn profits.

AITUC secretary D L Sachdev maintained that the company had resorted to such a step in the name of recession in the industry and which was against the provisions of the Industrial Disputes Act that required the prior permission from the appropriate authority.

Mr Sachdev said such an assault on the workers by the corporate and the MNCs is a serious matter and it would be taken up with the PM, the Labour Minister and the Civil Aviation Minister.

UNI KSA RP AS1612