Strike at Maruti's Manesar plant enters 12th day

The country's largest car-maker Maruti Suzuki India on Wednesday said production at its Manesar plant continues to be completely affected as the ongoing workers strike entered its 12th day.

"The situation is the same as yesterday. There is no production going on," a company spokesperson said.

The company saw production hit by 10,200 units till yesterday, which translates into a loss of about Rs 510 crore (Rs 5.1 billion). In the morning, shares of Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) were trading 0.43 per cent down at Rs 1,217.50 apiece on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

On Tuesday, Haryana Labour Department officials held several rounds of separate meetings with the company management and the striking workers.

However, a scheduled joint discussion comprising all parties during the late evening did not take place.

"We had a meeting with the Gurgaon Deputy Labour Commissioner in the evening. The Labour Commissioner was supposed to come along with the management, but they held their meeting at a different place. The joint meeting did not happen," the newly formed Maruti Suzuki Employees Union's (MSEU) General Secretary Shiv Kumar said.

No immediate comment could be obtained from the company on this issue. Meanwhile, the All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), which is leading the agitation from outside along with other unions such as the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), said the five-member

joint committee formed in support of Maruti's striking workers will meet in the afternoon today to decide on its future course of action.

Workers in the Gurgaon-Manesar industrial belt had planned a two-hour tool-down strike yesterday morning in support of Maruti's workers at the Manesar plant.

However, after beginning the tool-down strike at some factories, workers postponed the symbolic stir by a day following an appeal from Haryana Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda.

"Keeping in view the current situation, we have decided not to hold the tool-down strike today. We will meet at 4 pm and will decide about the future actions then," AITUC Secretary D L Sachdev said.

On June 4, workers went on strike demanding the recognition of a new union, the Maruti Suzuki Employees Union, formed by those working at the Manesar plant, among other things.

While a company spokesperson said only about 600 people are on strike, MSEU's Kumar claimed at least 2,000 workers are on the sit-in stir at the plant.

Cracking the whip, the company fired 11 workers last week for allegedly inciting others to go on strike.

Currently the company has one recognised union - Maruti Udyog Kamgar Union - which is dominated by workers at the Gurgaon plant.

The Manesar plant rolls out about 1,200 units every day in two shifts. The factory produces hatchbacks Swift and A-Star and sedans DZiRE and SX4.