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History keeps repeating in the Gurgaon-Manesar industrial belt, one of the country's largest auto hubs, which once again witnessed labour unrest following the death of a young worker at Rico Auto on Sunday.
The death of 26-year-old Ajit Yadav, a worker at auto component manufacturer Rico Auto, is not the first instance of fatalities in labour unrest in Haryana's industrial hub. The memories of violence of July 25, 2005, when over 150 people were injured in a clash between police and agitating workers of Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, still haunts the belt that aspires to be a global auto hub.
Unfortunately for the Haryana, the history of labour unrest goes beyond 2005 and has not even spared India's largest car maker Maruti Suzuki India (then Maruti Udyog Ltd) that witnessed a three-month strike by workers in 2000.
If it is component maker Rico Auto Industries now, which is in the midst of a storm following the death of a worker last Sunday, in the past even Maruti had to deal with deaths of workers, albeit in different circumstances, during the workers' stir. Trouble broke out in Maruti when around 150 employees were retrenched and another 2,200 were forced to opt for voluntary retirement in 2000. The focus, however, shifted when one of the workers was found dead under mysterious circumstances near the company's plant and another died in a nearby hospital when rushed from factory.
The then Maruti management had claimed the deaths of the workers were unrelated to the agitation. It took three months for the two sides to come to an agreement. In 2005, it was the turn of Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India where violent clash between agitating workers and police caught international limelight.
The problem at HMSI began after 50 employees were suspended and another four dismissed on disciplinary grounds. During the strike, workers resorted to massive destruction of property that prompted police to retaliate in a brutal manner injuring more than 150 striking workers. Hundreds of others were detained.
Till date, HMSI is facing the brunt of workers ire, who have resorted to go-slow tactics. The company had earlier this month threatened to shift its facility out of Manesar if the situation did not improve. Back to 2009, the strike by Rico Auto workers continues and their demand, besides a wage hike, now also includes compensation of Rs 50 lakh to kin of the dead worker and Rs 5 lakh for those injured in Sunday's clash. As per latest information available, the management and workers are yet to sit down for negotiations even as the tension continues to simmer.