Undeterred by the “betrayal” by their former leaders, workers at Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant are going ahead to form a union and have applied again for registration to the Haryana Labour Department.
While the workers have decided to retain the previously proposed name Maruti Suzuki Employees’ Union (MSEU), a new crop of leaders have emerged to take forward their cause.
According to a worker at the plant, Mr Ram Mehar Singh has been nominated as new President of MSEU, Mr Sarabjit Singh as new General Secretary of the body.
MSEU former President Mr Sonu Gujjar and ex-General Secretary Mr Shiv Kumar, along with 28 other suspended workers, which included all the former office-bearers of MSEU, had left the firm after taking a severance package of Rs 16 lakh each.
“Sonu Gujjar, Shiv Kumar and other people have betrayed us. We do not know why they have done this, but we will move ahead. We have again applied for registration of our union to the Labour Department in Chandigarh on last Friday,” a worker at the Manesar plant told PTI on the condition of anonymity.
In July, MSEU’s application for registration was declined by the Haryana Labour Department on technical grounds.
The worker further said: “This time we are very careful and we are taking care of all the regulations. We have already informed the company in writing about our new application“.
He further said the union will be an internal and independent body. MSI management has been opposed to the formation of an externally affiliated new union at the plant.
When contacted, a Maruti Suzuki India spokesperson said: “Yes, the company has received in writing from the workers“.