Production has crippled at Bajaj Auto’s Chakan plant in Maharashtra following a labour strike which entered its third day today. Rajiv Bajaj, managing director, is hoping production will get back to normal as the company makes alternative plans. He spoke to Surajeet Das Gupta and Swaraj Baggonkar. Edited excerpts:
Has any violence been reported inside the Chakan plant?
Not at all. We have been fortunate. The police has been very good. They have provided enough security at the plant. Whoever is coming in is doing so because he/she wants to work. We have 50-60 girls out of 1,500 people and 30-35 of them are reporting to work. We have made some special arrangements for accommodation because some of them were threatened by these goons.
Is it possible to move production to other Bajaj plants?
If this (labour issue) is going to extend over the next two months, then certainly we can do that and we will do that. When you buy 80 per cent (of the parts) from the suppliers, the suppliers can supply to any plant.
And, the rest of the welding, painting, assembly you can always do at another plant. But I would do that only after waiting for a couple of weeks. If the situation drags on for a few months, then obviously we would do that. We can do it at Aurangabad, at Pantnagar or at both places because the same set of vendors supply to both. In fact, a small production of Pulsars has started at the Aurangabad plant. So, when 500-600 bikes were produced at Chakan yesterday, about 100 Pulsars were made at Aurangabad.
How did things come to such a pass?
Dilip Pawar, who belongs to our Akurdi plant, is trying to impose himself from outside on the Chakan plant.
He tried to create some trouble in Pantnagar but was thrown out of the plant and work has been normal since then. He then turned his attention to the Aurangabad plant to garner support but they asked him to get out from there, too. In the last couple of years, he has been trying to give false ideas to people at the Chakan plant.
For a plant which has worked perfectly for the last 14 years, we have had trouble only in the last two years,