AI strike: Pilots' body submits documents to ministry

The Indian Pilots Guild, spearheading the Air India pilots' stir, on Monday submitted some documents to Civil Aviation Ministry to back its claims on career progression issue.

It has accused the airline management of not giving a 'clear picture' to the government on their issues.

"Some of our office bearers today met ministry officials and submitted documents regarding our claims," IPG sources told PTI.

Few IPG leaders had also gone to the residence of Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh and submitted the same set of papers.

Singh was in Parliament at that time.

Clarfiying that the IPG office-bearers had not gone to the minister for any meeting, the sources said, "Our visit

was only to submit these documents."

On Saturday, IPG joint secretary and spokesperson Tausif Muqaddam had alleged that the airline's top brass was not giving the clear picture to the minister.

"The minister is an honest man with good intentions. The management is not giving the right picture to the minister," he had said.

The IPG had also demanded that it should be allowed to place its issues before the government "without the interference of the Air India management."

Asked whether there were any back-channel parleys with the government to break the deadlock arising out of the 7-day-old agitation, the sources said no such talks were held.

"We have neither had direct nor indirect talks with the government so far. Also, there is no meeting scheduled with the minister as of now," they said.