I fully agree with my Mr. Geebz here. Aviation industry is business too, and you have to run it like one. If you don't pay your employees, or favor one section over another, there is bound to be chaos. The management and the workers always have to be in harmony in any organisation, if they wish to survive. It is the bare essential of running a business.
I'm sorry Mr. Wannabe Flyer, I would disagree on your points. There is indeed a charter of demands for the striking pilots, and it does include payment of dues on a higher priority than of the much infamous claim on 787s. It may not be available to the general public, which is why perhaps you have not seen it. The clause for 787s is not what you think, however. It states that if the narrow body pilots were to be given equal opportunity on the 787s as the wide body pilots, the door should also be open for a wide body pilot to go over to narrow body aircrafts too. This has been rejected by the narrow body pilots, thus reducing the career progression (command conversion mostly) chances of the wide body pilots, while the narrow body folks are making merry on their luck. I hope now you understand on how it affects the poor wide body pilots more. Besides, when the company is almost broke, if I were the CMD, I would rather send a Boeing fellow for a 787 conversion rather than a gentleman from Airbus, as the training for the latter would be more expensive. Boeing to Boeing conversion sounds like a better business decision, as it would mean more relief for the taxpayers like you who fund the airline, thereby leaving more money for the airline to pay their wages.
Secondly, from what I've know, only February salary is paid to non-striking pilots and not to the striking folks. March, April, May and June dues still stand. So, I must say that you have been misinformed by your sources. Terminated pilots have been given close to $1800 severance pay only with no reference or offer to their previous outstanding dues whatsoever. I would have a problem with that, if I was in their shoes. And the equity infusion that came went for the above mentioned February salary, as I mentioned, besides fuel/airport charges. No other dues have been cleared or are planned to. Another point, their wages are being delayed for the past 1 year alone, not 5 years. Once again I would say that I doubt your sources. Also, why delay their February salary? The so called "agitation" only started in May, right? They can be paid till that month, at least. Just a thought.
It would be a different ball-game if Air India were to magically come up with funds to clear all past dues to all employees. But they cannot do that as of now. So let's not hypothesise on "what might happen if...". You are talking of parallel universes there mate. Having said that, I wonder why they didn't go on for their planned strike in April on the non-payment of their wages. I guess perhaps they were indeed thinking for the company, but who knows? Maybe this 787 business was their last straw, as they claim. I mean, no pay + no career progression + the horrible work atmosphere, I would be feeling pretty down about it if I was one of them. I think I can say for myself, I support these guys.