The Maruti Suzuki
Workers Union (MSWU) is anguished at the recent developments in Maruti Suzuki
plant, IMT Manesar where the management has resorted to anti-worker and
anti-Union activities in a pre-planned manner leading to the closure of the
factory yesterday.
We have had a long tough struggle with
the strong unity of our permanent and contract workers to establish and
register our Union last year, and had recently as of April 2012 submitted our
Charter of Demands to the management of Maruti Suzuki, and the process of
negotiation for wages and other demands was underway. However the management
has done its utmost to derail the process and break the back of the spirit of
unity of the workers and the legitimacy of the Union.
As part of this vindictive attitude and
in a pre-planned manner, yesterday, the afternoon of 18th July, a supervisor
in the shop floor abused and made casteist comments against a dalit worker of
the permanent category, which was legitimately protested by the worker. Instead
of taking action against the said supervisor, the management immediately
suspended the worker concerned without any investigation as was demanded by the
workers. When the workers along with Union representatives went to meet the HR
to demand against the supervisor and revoke the unjust suspension of the
worker, the HR officials flatly refused to hear our arguments, and it was in no
mood to resolve the issue amicably.
When the negotiation was going on with
the leaders of the Union inside the office, the management called in the entry
of hundreds of bouncers on its payroll to attack the workers. This is
completely an illegal vindictive action in the spirit of conspiracy to corner
us into submission even as our demands and methods are legitimate. The gates
were closed by the security on behest of the management and the bouncers
brutally attacked the workers with sharp weapons and arms. They, joined by some
of the managerial staff and police later, beat up a number of workers who have
had to be hospitalised with serious injuries. The bouncers, who are anti-social
elements on hire, also destroyed company property and set fire to a portion of
the factory. The gates were later opened to oust the workers and enforce a
lockout by the company.
We have the workers and the company's
welfare in mind and have worked towards it after the resolution of the dispute
last year, and to blame the current violence on us is unjust. We are still keen
to dialogue with the company and want to sit with the company management and
the government labour department to amicably resolve the matter and restore
industrial peace in the factory.
Ram Meher
President, Maruti Suzuki Workers Union
(MSWU)
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