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The stand-off between the Bosch management and its workers took a turn for the worse on Tuesday when the union members prevented company officials from entering the factory.
A Bosch press statement claimed that several executives from the company were not allowed to enter the office as the union members blocked the factory gates.
Admitting that they had prevented the officials from entering the office, a member of the Mico Employees Association (MEA) alleged that in the morning, a few officials had tried to physically harm some of the workers. “Hence, we decided not to permit anyone to enter the premises,” a union member told Business Line .
Protest Continues
The MEA, over the last two weeks, has been fighting the company's move to outsource manufacturing of, among other components, fuel injection pumps and parts of CrDi (common rail direct fuel injection) which were made at Bosch's Adugodi plant.
The company management and the MEA have had two rounds of conciliatory tripartite talks with the Additional Labour Commissioner of Karnataka so far. “The matter is being referred to the Government for a final decision. When the matter is under this status, today's strange act of MEA members is (being) viewed by all as a sign of desperation and defiance of law,” Bosch said in the press statement.
The Bangalore plant makes fuel injection pumps as well as some crucial parts for its common rail diesel injection systems and it competes with Delphi India in the market.
A company official however said that production has not been affected to the extent that the company would have to import parts, but fears that the strike might drive the company to a situation where it will have to import parts that are now being manufactured at Adugodi.
The MEA President, Mr N M Adyanathaya however claims that workers are opposing ancilliarisation and outsourcing of production, and the Bosch Management's “illegal shutdown” of the Adugodi plant since September 29.
The MEA also alleges that the Bosch management has been ‘illegally' employing women, trainees, administrative staff and other workers from Bosch's units at Nashik and Jaipur at the Adugodi plant to continue production.
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