Maruti Suzuki Fires 11 Employees on Strike at their Manesar Plant

Maruti Suzuki India was recently hit by worker strikes at their Manesar plant which began on June 4. Following the standoff with its employees, the company has now gone ahead and fired 11 of their employees who worked at this plant, where operations were crippled because of the strike.

The chairman of the company, R.C. Bhargava was quoted as saying that the services of their 11 employees who were responsible for inciting workers to take on an illegal strike and who created an unsafe work atmosphere have resulted in their termination. Bhargava said that the workers went on an illegal strike without giving any due notice. He however added that they are continuing to have dialogues with those workers who are on a strike.

Bhargava said, refusing to acknowledge the demand of the workers, that there was no union, and if they were facing any problem, than they should have first given a written notice and discussed the problem with them. He added that they are hopeful that they will come to an amicable result soon.

According to reports, of the 11 employees, who were sacked, 8 included office bearers of the company’s newly organized union, the Maruti Suzuki Employees Union. An agitator was reported as saying that they will resist forcible moves employed to evict the 11 employees from the premises of the factory. The production at the plant was apparently stalled following the strike, causing it to incur a loss of 1,200 models, as the strike reached its third day.

Last Saturday, around 2,000 employees at Maruti’s Manesar plant went on a strike during the day’s second shift. The striking workers are insisting that their newly formed union is recognized by the company. The new union was formed by employees at the Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant, while also retaining the new units’ contract labourers, which is located inside the plant’s complex.

Another demand put forward from the striking workers, is to refrain from taking any disciplinary action on the new union’s eleven office bearers. The company’s senior official’s reportedly said that their company had incurred a loss in their production of 1,200 units per day which includes their two shifts. The first shift begins from 7.30 in the morning to 4 in the evening, while the second shift begins at 4 in the evening, concluding at 12.30 in the morning.