Workers at Indian Airlines' Kathmandu office continue strike

Workers at the Kathmandu office of the Indian Airlines, who announced strikes demanding permanent status in line with the Labour Act (2048), continued their protest on Tuesday as well.

39 workers, who have been carrying out strike at the airline's office at Hattisar, from October 19 started relay hunger strike from today. According to a press statement issued by the Indian Airlines Workers Union, the management has refused to abide by an order of the Labour Court to give permanent status to eligible workers, most of whom are operators, loaders and drivers.

The Union said the workers have been denied entry into the office from October 20, a day after they decided to launch a strike.

Nearly a dozen police officials were seen at the airline's office as the hunger strike went on this afternoon. The General Federation of Nepalese Trade Unions (GEFONT) has supported the strikes of the workers, workers said.

Workers said they had registered a case at the Labour Court in June 2004 challenging the stance of the management not to give permanent status to the workers on grounds that the company is not registered in Nepal. The Labour Court, according to the statement, had on August 29, 2005 given a decision in favour of the workers.

There are workers who have been working for the Indian airliner for over 16 years without permanent status. The Union has accused the management of trying to pull diplomatic and political strings --through its contacts with the Indian Embassy, Nepali political parties and the government --to silence the workers.

“If the management continues to turn down our demands, we are prepared to go for a decisive strike,” Ganesh Pandey, a union member, told nepalnews. He informed that the workers were planning an indefinite hunger strike soon.

As the workers protest goes on, the management has employed substitute operators brought from India and the Royal Nepal Airlines Corporation (RNAC), the Nepali national flag carrier. “This is a ploy to break the unity of workers. The management has clearly breached the country’s labour laws,” Pandey insisted.

The Indian Airlines, which is in operation in Nepal since 1966, currently operates 10 flights a week in the Kathmandu-Delhi-Kathmandu and Kathmandu-Kolkata-Kathmandu routes.

When asked for comments, K Mukherjee, a senior Indian Airlines official at the Kathmandu branch, said staff members were instructed by the top level management not to speak on the matter. The workers' strike has not, however, affected regular business of the airline, he informed. nepalnews.com Mohan Khadka Nov 01 05