Q+A - Pilot strike highlights fragile labour relations

By Bappa Majumdar

NEW DELHI (Reuters) - A standoff between pilots and management at India's top private carrier, Jet Airways, entered its fourth day on Friday, underlining fragile labour relations in India, where rigid employment laws have been blamed for a spate of recent strikes.

Here is a snapshot of some of the difficulties:

HIRING AND FIRING

India's labour laws, rated by the World Bank as among the most rigid, place strict limits on the number of people that can be hired and how they can be fired.

Prolonged labour unrest in the 1970s and 80s virtually wiped out the cotton textile industry in Maharashtra and jute and heavy engineering in West Bengal.

Government data for strikes this year is not available, but there is evidence they are on the rise as layoffs bite in a slowing economy.

Experts say more trouble is in store in India's public sector as the country looks to divest stakes in overstaffed state firms to bridge a yawning fiscal deficit.