• Investment World
• eWorld
• Brand Line
• Mentor
• Life
• Brand Quest
• The New Manager
• BL Club
• Smartbuy

Stocks

• Quotes
• SE Diary
• Scoreboard
• Open-End Mutual Fund

Cross Currency

• Rates
  
  

Shipping

• Ports
  
  

Archives

• Yesterday
• Datewise
• Resources
• In Focus
• In Depth
• Events 2007

Group Sites

• The Hindu
• The Hindu ePaper
• Business Line
• Business Line ePaper
• Sportstar
• Frontline
• The Hindu eBooks
• The Hindu Images

R. Balaji

Chennai, Nov. 8 Workers will not lose wages and will compensate the company when demand picks up once again. This is the arrangement that Ashok Leyland’s workers have entered into with the management, which is grappling with an unanticipated drop in demand for commercial vehicles.

Ashok Leyland has declared that its plants will work only three days a week till December as it attempts to match production with demand and cut inventory.

The company has declared ‘16 non-working days’ for November and December and has agreed to pay full wages to the workers. In turn, the workers will compensate half these paid holidays by working once demand picks up and higher production is called for.

According to Mr R. Kuchelan, President, Ashok Leyland Employees Union, the non-working days in November and December are being treated as holidays with wages. This applies to the six units spread across Tamil Nadu, Rajasthan and Maharashtra where over 8,000 workers are employed.

According to a notice to the employees, the Ashok Leyland management has said that out of the 16 non-working days in November and December, eight days would be treated as special leave with full wages (basic and dearness allowance only as applicable to a paid holiday). For the remaining eight days, the workers will have to compensate the full wages by working on weekly off-days and Sundays once the sales and power situation improve.

Mr Kuchelan, a veteran trade unionist, asserts the slowdown in the manufacturing sector has not resulted in workers either losing jobs or suffering pay cuts. Mr Kuchelan, who is the President, Working Peoples Trade Union Council, to which unions in leading manufacturing units are affiliated, feels it is the newspapers and the electronic media that are showing an “exaggerated” view of the slowdown .

More Stories on : HCV/LCV/Tractors | Trade & Labour Unions

Article E-Mail :: Comment :: Syndication :: Printer Friendly Page

Copyright © 2008, The Hindu Business Line. Republication or redissemination of the contents of this screen are expressly prohibited without the written consent of The Hindu Business Line