The Hindu Business Line : Toyota workers issue strike notice; 27 employees to be sacked

THE rift between Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) and its workers has widened with the employees issuing a strike notice to the management for not agreeing to their demands.

In another development, the management has decided to dismiss 27 suspended workers on grounds of indiscipline.

The TKM management has informed the Labour Commissioner of its decision.

A workers' union spokesperson told Business Line that the management has failed to protect the interest of the workers and was harassing them.

He said they plan to go on strike during the third week of March. Before that, they will go on a day's strike on March 7 and will take out a procession to the Chief Minister's office along with other trade union bodies.

The TKM's spokesperson, General Manager for Corporate Planning, Mr A.R. Shankar, said the new strike notice will not attract any ban as it was a fresh strike notice.

"It will go through the same process as the last one," he said.

He said the workers had put forth new demands, including revoking suspension of 27 of their colleagues.

The workers went on strike on January 6 and two days later, the management declared a lock out fearing violence inside the factory.

The Government, however, declared the strike by the workers as illegal forcing them to return to work. During the lock-out period, which was lifted on January 21, TKM claimed that it had lost production of 600 vehicles.

The company has a total of 1,550 unionised workers.

TKM workers had earlier demanded that the management should take back three dismissed employees.

But the talks between the management and the employees broke down after the company refused to take back the sacked workers.

The management had claimed that the earlier strike was illegal as the union had not given 14 days' notice as per the Industrial Disputes Act since the company has been notified as a public utility service by the State Government.

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