End to the Pawan Hans stir in sight

MUMBAI, December 24: The 28-day long strike by Pawan Hans pilots is likely to end soon following negotiations between the management and th...

MUMBAI, December 24: The 28-day long strike by Pawan Hans pilots is likely to end soon following negotiations between the management and the pilots guild brokered by the Central Regional Labour Commissioner (RLC) here today.

G S Hundal, managing director, Pawan Hans Helicopters Ltd flew flew in from Delhi last night to hold talks with the pilots’ guild. The pilots went on a flash strike from November 27 after some of their colleagues were allegedly gheraoed by the general employees for refusing to operate flights to Bombay High at night. The guild is demanding that the company’s deputy general manager (operations) P S Sood and DGM (Personnel) A K Shrivastava be suspended for not coming to the pilots’ help. However, the management had refused to comply.

However, sources say, the RLC has been persuading both parties to climb down from their respective stands. While Hundal refused to speak, another guild member stated, “The management now does not want us to insist on Sood’s suspension as he has been grounded for six weeks on medical grounds. They also want us to settle for the transfer of Shrivastava out of Mumbai.” Sources add that the labour commissioner has persuaded leaders of the company’s General Employees Union to remain neutral in the dispute.

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The pilots had decided not to operate night flights in November as a result of dispute with the management even as the arbitration process was on.

The Oil and Natural Gas Commission which depends largely on Pawan Hans helicopters to ferry its personnel from the Juhu helipad to its oil rigs at Bombay High has suffered a drop in oil production. A spokesman said the oil output has fallen by 4000 barrels per day as ONGC technicians have not been able to reach some of its unmanned platforms to undertake maintenance work.