The Hero Honda management on Wednesday appeared in a conciliatory mood when its vice-president and head of the Gurgaon plant, V S Kasbekar, said the company was 'favourably considering' the key demand of the striking workers that they be inducted as regular employees in the company.
However, while absorbing some of the contractual workers, the company would consider a variety of factors like qualification, skill and capability.
According to trade union leaders, the management is willing to take in 100 contractual workers on the payrole. However, the union is demanding that a letter to this effect be given immediately. Trade union leaders added that the management is trying to buy some time for this.
"We are definitely considering them (demands) favourably... (and) giving them favourable offers," said Kasbekar. He said the talks with the striking workers were in final stages and hoped a solution could emerge soon.
As many as 2,000 workers employed by contractors at Hero Honda's Gurgaon plant have struck work at the company's Gurgaon plant, which manufactures about 1.65 million vehicles a year, since Monday's afternoon shift.
The production has been negligible since then. Kasbekar, however, said the production at the company's other plant in Dharuhera, Haryana, which rolled out 1.35 million vehicles last financial year, was sufficient to take care of the sales.
Meanwhile a statement from the company said: "There is no immediate affect of this strike on the availability of the company's products at the dealerships... there are sufficient stocks in the pipeline and at the dealerships. Hero Honda hopes to make up the production loss, post the resolution of this issue and commencement of production at its Gurgaon plant." However, it could not be determined how long the sales would remain unaffected.
Kasbekar said it was flash strike, without a notice, yet the company chose to negotiate with the striking workers.
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