AAI strike has partial impact

Thanks to employees walking off their jobs at airports across the country, cleanliness?along with engineering & maintenance services, as well as fire-fighting operations?have been affected. Contract cleaning staff are not being allowed to cross picket lines, either.

Not surprisingly, passengers have complained of smelly washrooms. ?Toilets at the airport are not being cleaned and trolleys are not available,? one traveller complained, adding, ?But the agitators have been peaceful so far.? Information boards were also blank throughout the day, and aerobridges not in operation.

Meanwhile, civil aviation minister Praful Patel assured AAI employees they would not lose their jobs with the opening of greenfield facilities. ?The existing airports at Hyderabad and Bangalore would continue to remain operational for general aviation, defence purposes and national emergencies. The interests of AAI employees at these airports will be fully protected,? the minister said in a statement in the Lok Sabha.

The AAI employees are protesting the closure of the two southern airports and the government?s airport privatisation programme. Speaking on the impact of the strike, Andrew Harrison, COO, Delhi International Airport Ltd, said, ?We don?t know whether the strike will be non-confrontational or disruptive, but we have contingency plans to take care of any service shortcomings.?

Delhi airport saw 250 aircraft landings and 125 departures on Wednesday.

Essential air traffic control staff did not join the strike. An office-bearer of the Airport Authority Employees? Joint Forum said that an estimated 15,000 airport employees at over 90 of the 127 airports under the control of AAI were on strike.

?The strike will be peaceful and union members will not indulge in any protest marches or rallies,? he added. Airport Authority Employees? Union general-secretary Dilip Gujjar said the employees were resorting to non-cooperation in ?Gandhigiri? style.