Air-travellers at the Indira Gandhi International Airport here may have to face some problems tomorrow as the airport authority employees will be on a 12-hour strike. "Airport Authority Employees' Union (AAEU) has decided to join the general strike called by the Combined Public Sector Trade Union (CPSTU) on August 20 in support of the longstanding demands of the union," AAEU general secretary M K Ghoshal said. The general strike has been called by the Left-affiliated trade unions of public sector units across the nation to protest anti-labour policies of the government and rising inflation.

Services like housekeeping, including sanitation engineering, civil and fire are likely to be affected as all AAI staffs of these department will be on a 12-hour strike starting from 7 am. The AAEU demands include no privatisation or leasing out of AAI airports, opening of commercial operations at Hyderabad and Bangalore airports, to ensure the job security of AAI employees in Delhi, Mumbai, Hyderabad, Bangalore and Nagpur. The other demands include filling of vacant posts, regularisation of casual or contractual labours and also the AAI employees must be allowed to continue at their respective units or airports.

Meanwhile the Indian Air Force (IAF) has decided to deploy its men to handle key airport services throughout the country. "In the wake of the strike call by AAI employees from 7 am to 7 pm tomorrow, IAF, on a very short notice, has deployed 250 skilled personnel to maintain safety and fire services," a spokesperson of the force said here on Tuesday. IAF personnel will be on duty at 21 civilian airports across the country to help AAI to maintain critical services during the employees' strike. Earlier too, the IAF had extended help to the AAI on a couple of occasions at very short notices for the smooth functioning of civilian air services, the spokesperson said.