India airports strike called off

Trade unions bitterly opposed the privatisation plan

Thousands of Indian airport workers have ended a four-day strike after the government agreed to consider their concerns over privatisation.

Workers protested outside the country's main airports over plans to privatise Delhi and Mumbai (Bombay) airports.

Trade unions and communists opposed the move, saying it would lead to job cuts.

The strike, mostly by cleaners and administrators, had little impact on flights but rubbish piled up at the airports and toilets remained unclean.

Reports in the Indian media spoke out against the strike which they said had tarnished the country's image.

Assurance

The strike was called off after several rounds of meetings between the government and the union leaders.

I assured them that the interests of the AAI would be kept in mind Praful Patel Civil Aviation Minister In pictures: Airport strike

On Friday, Prime Minister Manmohan Singh met leaders of the communist parties - who backed the protest - and urged them to persuade the workers to call off the strike.

Trade union leaders said they had now received assurances that their point of view would be considered.

"I... call off the strike in view of the request of the honourable prime minister and on the basis of the letter of the civil aviation minister," one union leader, MK Ghoshal, is quoted as saying by Reuters.

Assurance

The workers, who belong to the state-controlled Airports Authority of India, want the government to assure them that no jobs will be lost after the airports were privatised.

"I assured them that the interests of the AAI would be kept in mind," Civil Aviation Minister Praful Patel told journalists after meeting union leaders on Saturday.

Last week the minister announced that India's two largest airports will be leased to leading construction firms GMR and GVK, and their foreign partners, as part of a process to modernise them.

On Thursday, one of the unsuccessful bidders, Reliance Airport Developer, filed a legal challenge to the Delhi airport contract, arguing it was "illegal and arbitrary".

Delhi and Mumbai airports handle almost 65% of India's international traffic of 19m passengers a year.