Air India on Friday took back six out of its 57 employees, sacked after a flash strike days after the May 22 Mangalore air crash, and revoked the suspension of 27 others.
After a meeting with Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel in New Delhi, Communist Party of India leader Gurudas Dasgupta told PTI that six staffers, whose services were terminated after the two-day strike that had disrupted hundreds of flights, have been taken back 'after they submitted apology letters on our advice'.
"The suspension of all the 27 employees has also been revoked," he said after the meeting, which was also attended by Civil Aviation Secretary S N A Zaidi and Air India chief executive officer-cum-managing director Arvind Jadhav.
Dasgupta said other retrenched employees would also be taken back after they submit similar 'apology letters'.
"We advised them to apologise in writing, as such cat-call strikes are not permitted in trade unions," he said.
Besides sacking 57 staffers and suspending 27 others, Air India management had de-recognised two major unions -- the Air Corporation Employees Union and Air India Aircraft Engineers Association --
after the strike.
Dasgupta, who is also the General Secretary of AITUC, said the issue of de-recognition was 'still pending' and 'needs to be sorted out at the earliest'.
About 25,000 employees went on a flash strike on May 25, three days after an Air India Express plane crashed in Mangalore killing 158 people.
The strike continued for two days, but was called off after the Delhi high court declared it illegal and described it as an expression of irresponsibility on the part of the workers.