Air India Air India fights for union rights
Socialist Organiser1982 1982-08-19Read it in the scan (PDF), scan page 19 →
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BM Box 5965, London WCTN ALONGSIDE the health workers' and Fleet Street union banners outside Sean Geraghty's hearing last Friday was a banner from the strike committee at Air India.
A member of the strike committee explained to us. "It was a simple decision for us. Here was one trade unionist who was acting like a trade unionist, and he deserved support"
The Air India workers Themse ves , for thai less a righting the intention of the management from the beginning was to wipe out our union. We have challenged the commercial policies and the malpractices of the management, and they are attempting to silence and nullify the critic.. isms of the union"
Of a hundred-odd workers on strike since early July, 91 have now been sacked. Their demand is simply that management returns to status quo and respects the agreements it has signed. But the management is not even willing to take the dispute to ACAS.
They provoked the dispute in early June, by attempting to impose changed rosters, without consultaSTOP THA Affiliate to the Write to: TSC, 3XX. tion and in violation of agreements they had signed only a few days before! They also suspended shop steward Alroy de Silva, again without respecting agreed procedure.
The union imposed an overtime ban and work-torule. It became a strike after Alroy de Silva was sacked on July 2. Then two weeks ago the management responded with sacking letters to 91 strikers.
Air India' are still maintaining some operations with non-union staff and some trade unionists who are crossing the picket lines. But an Air India Support Committee at Heathrow has organised effective blacking of cargo trans-shipments, and the reservations department has been totally shut down.
The dispute has been made official by the TGWU.
The strikers' aim is to extend the blacking to complete withdrawal of cooperation with Air India by all trade unionists. Donations are also needed, and should be sent to: TGWU Air India branch 1/1305, c/o Transport House, 7-9 South Road, Southall, Middlesex.
Turkish Solidarity Campaign.