After Maruti Suzuki India, labour unrest seems to be spreading in the Gurgaon-Manesar industrial belt.
On Tuesday, workers at auto component-maker Munjal Showa Ltd's Manesar plant, too, resorted to strike, demanding regularisation of casual work after five years of training and certain welfare measures.
A Munjal Showa official said that a settlement has been reached with the workers at a meeting that concluded on Tuesday evening. A further “demand notice on wage settlement” is further expected from the workers over the next few days.
“We have arrived at a settlement...they were reasonable issues. With the order effective from October 1, 30 workers will be confirmed over a three-month period. Production took place today, though it was impacted to a certain extent,” the official told
Maruti hires more
Earlier in the day, the Maruti management hired 100 new permanent employees to meet the manpower shortage at its troubled Manesar plant. This was done to replace those who have refused to sign the good conduct bond.
“104 workers have signed the good conduct bond,” a company spokesperson said, adding that the company would not enter into any dialogue with the workers and continue to recruit more permanent workers in the coming days.
On Tuesday, the company dismissed five more striking workers on charges of attack on three supervisors and a worker last Friday. On August 29, 21 employees were suspended and dismissed on charges of sabotaging and alleged quality issues.
The stand-off between the Maruti management and workers started began on August 29, when the company enforced a 'good conduct bond' on the workers as a condition to enter the factory. Since then, the company has been making alternate labour arrangements to smoothen production operations at the Manesar plant.
Out of the total workforce of 1,214 deployed at the Manesar plant, 630 are on contract, 380 are supervisors and engineers and 204 are permanent workers.
The company said it produced another batch of 500 Swift cars on Tuesday.
MUNJAL SHOWA
Workers at auto component-maker Munjal Showa Ltd's Manesar plant struck work, hitting production and indicating the spreading of labour unrest in the industrial belt. According to the company, 200 workers on training out of a total strength of about 1,400 were on strike.
The company is one of the leading manufacturers of shock absorbers and struts for two-wheelers and four-wheelers in India.