The employees’ unions of Air India and Jet Airways have put forward a proposal for the formation of a single union of all 50,000 airline employees in the country.  It has been received with enthusiasm by the workers in the airline industry, who are facing job cuts and reduction in wages and salaries. 

According to media reports, Captain Girish Kaushik, President of National Aviators Guild, which represents more than 650 pilots of Jet Airways, said, “Discussions are already on. We will meet pilots from other airlines to form a national union soon … the union will have representation of engineers, cabin crew and other segment of airlines employees in the long run”.

The strike struggles that have been waged recently by the workers of Jet Airways and Air India showed the potential of Airline employees to make the capitalists of the country sit up and take note.  Jet Airways reportedly lost more than Rs 400 crore due to the five-day strike in the first week of September, while Air India lost about Rs 100 crore from the four-day strike later in the month.

“One industry, one union, that’s what we aim for. A single union at the national level will protect the rights of each and every employee,” said George Abraham, general secretary of Aviation Industry Employees Guild, a union of Air India employees.

Mazdoor Ekta Lehar [People’s Voice] hails the bold and historic step of the workers in airline companies to form a single union for all workers in the industry.  Their heroic effort deserves the support of all communists, working class leaders and all those who defend democratic rights.