Talks start, Jet Airways pilots strike to end 'soon'

New Delhi: Jet Airways cancelled some 170 flights on Friday as the impasse with pilots continued for the fourth day, though the two sides began a marathon round of talks since noon with the hope of finding a solution "soon".

At the initiative of Chief Labour Commissioner S K Mukhopadhyay, the representatives of pilots, reporting sick since Tuesday, and the Jet Airways management started their talks in a bid to end the stand-off.

"Our discussions with the management have been positive. We are really hopeful," Girish Kaushik, president of the newly formed National Aviators Guild, told reporters ahead of the meeting.

"We hope to arrive at a solution soon."

The main demand of the pilots is the reinstatement of four of their colleagues, who were sacked by the airline. The pilots say the four were sacked because they helped form the new union.

Apart from the Mukhopadhyay and Kaushik, the conciliation talks were being attended by Jet Airways executive director Saroj Dutta and the airlines' chief operating officer Hamid Ali.

Labour Minister Mallikarjun Kharge and Congress MP from Maharashtra Sanjay Nirupam, who were among those who sought to mediate the talks, said that the impasse would end within 48 hours.

In the four days since the pilots started their mass sick leave, over 850 flights have been cancelled and inconvenienced several thousand passengers, especially during its first two days.

The Jet Airways management also moved the Bombay High Court, which passed an order Wednesday restraining the pilots from resorting to any form of agitation pending its final order.

Subsequently, the airline also filed a contempt petition, which is slated to be heard Monday.

The Jet Airways management as also some sections of the employees have been asking the pilots to hold talks to resolve matters rather than abstaining from work - but with little luck so far.

"We're going through a recession. Our salaries will be delayed by the strike as the airline is already undergoing losses," said Jagjeet Kaur, a customer care executive with the carrier.

"The pilots cannot put our futures at risk."

Jet Airways chairman Naresh Goyal had earlier said the pilots were behaving like "terrorists" and warned of stern action if their stir persisted. At the same time, he offered to hold talks with them.

The government also sought to intervene in a limited manner when Home Secretary G.K. Pillai asked the states to examine if they can invoke the Essential Services Maintenance Act.