Air India crisis should be sorted out immediately: BJP

New Delhi, June 6 (ANI): Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) spokesperson Shahnawaz Hussain on Wednesday said the issues of pilots of Air India should be sorted out immediately.

"The strike at Air India completed one-month today, but nothing has happened. People are getting affected. Prime Minister Manmohan Singh should interfere in the matter," Hussain told media here.

Earlier in the day, commenting on the pilots who are on strike, Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said: "It seems pilots have decided not to come back. They have condemned the Dharmadhikari Report, which is part of a turnaround plan. If they reject that, no point in their coming back."

"Our stand from Day One has been, that it (the strike) has been declared illegal by the high court. They haven't even followed union rules of giving notice of strike. I have said in Parliament, there will be no victimisation, but they are not willing," he said.

"If they want to come back, they are welcome but there are no pre-conditions," he added.

Singh had earlier announced new pay and career progression norms for employees of erstwhile Indian Airlines and Air India to ensure parity in the merged national carrier.

Presenting the Justice C.S. Dharmadhikari Committee Report on the problems arising out of the merger of national carriers, Singh had said after the committee's recommendations are implemented, pay scales, work hours, promotions for Air India and Indian Airlines will be similar.

"The committee will also look into anomalies in pay scales and a uniform policy on working hours. The new promotions policy will give fair chance to pilots from Indian Airlines and Air India in terms of career progression," he added.

The Dharmadhikari Committee, which submitted its report on January 31 has made recommendations on crucial issues like principles of integration across various cadres, seniority and principles of pay rationalisation of the two erstwhile state-run airlines, issues that have been at the centre of the strike called by the Air India pilots.

The ongoing pilots' agitation has resulted in cancellation of several flights of the ailing airline, including many international ones, causing passenger inconvenience and a loss of over Rs.200 crore to the exchequer. (ANI)