The union has said that the airline is facing a shortage of manpower on board aircraft but despite their repeated representations to the management to fill up vacancies, Air India has not paid any attention to the issue

In a bid to avert the proposed strike called by a section of its employees on 19th March, the National Aviation Company of India Ltd (NACIL) management has convened a meeting with representatives of the Air Corporation Employees Union (ACEU) at Mumbai on Wednesday, reports PTI.

ACEU, the employee union of the erstwhile Indian Airlines, in a letter to the management on 4th March had said that it has directed over 800 of its non-executive cabin crew (affiliated to the union) not to report to work on 19th March to protest the shortage of cabin crew in the national carrier.

"The management has called a meeting with our representatives on 17th March to discuss our demand," ACEU's regional secretary, Vivek Rao, said.

The union was hopeful of a positive solution from the talks, Mr Rao said.

NACIL is the holding company formed after the merger of erstwhile Indian Airlines and Air India into one single entity.

ACEU said that despite several representations to the management on the issue of staff shortage, there had been no response and hence it had to resort to this industrial action.

"We have been forced to call for such an action. We are facing a shortage of manpower on board aircraft but despite our repeated representations to the management to fill up vacancies, it has not paid any attention to the issue," ACEU's general secretary, Dinakar Shetty, said.

According to him, there is a shortage of around 200-300 cabin crew in NACIL (I), affecting flight operations.