Air India privatisation faces attack; here is what this trade union said

Condemning the government's move to privatise Air India, the Left-affiliated All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) today accused the Centre of selling out national assets in the name of ease of doing business. In a statement, the AITUC has said that the Centre has been "obstinately" following the policy of dismantling the public sector. "The government has been obstinately following the policy of dismantling the public sector, and handing over business to Indian and foreign corporates. The latest move of sale of 76 percent share of Air India to private players is a move in pursuance of the same policy of sell out of national assets in the name of ease of doing business," the statement says.

The trade union has also said that despite opposition from unions, the government privatised the airports and "forcibly" merged the Indian Airlines and Air India which perpetuated the problems for the national carrier.

So far piecemeal sale of the carrier has been the methodology, but the present government desires to do it in one go in the interest of private players, who would reap the benefits and public money will be used by the government for meeting the major debt burdens, the trade union said.

The union also pointed out that because of government's decision the employees, the work force, regular and contract would be put to greatest hardship.

The move for fixed-term employment being pushed by the government in all the sectors, would further add to the difficulties as the private players won't continue the services of existing employees beyond one year as per the provision, it said.

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The AITUC, while "strongly denouncing" the tacit move of the government to privatise the national carrier-Air India, has called upon the workers and the trade unions to unitedly oppose this "retrograde" policy .