Future course of action soon, says company; shares plummet 8.7%
Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant, where workers clashed with the company management on Wednesday evening, has been shut. Indications are that the facility will be closed indefinitely, according to company sources.
The Gurgaon police today arrested 88 workers of the Manesar facility following Wednesday’s violence in which a senior company official was killed and about 100 injured.
The initial dispute is believed to have been over differences in the ongoing wage negotiations. Both Gurgaon Police and the company confirmed that the charred body was that of Mr Awanish Kumar Dev, General Manager (HR), at Maruti. He had been reported as missing after the clash and his remains were identified by his brother-in-law.
The main gate of the plant (Gate 2) and the first floor of the site office building, which houses departments such as the HR, supply chain and a conference room, were destroyed in a fire reportedly created by the workers. A large number of the 3,000 workers at the plant were involved in the clashes, in which nine policemen were also injured. Mr Maheshwar Dayal, DCP, Gurgaon (East and South), said that the union leaders are yet to be found, but a special investigation team has also been formed under the ACP, Mr Ravinder Tomar. Around 1,200 policemen were additionally deployed at the facility on Thursday.
“This is a very serious act of criminality and we will take stern action; nothing can justify this. Teams have been sent out to different areas to round up the culprits,” added Mr Ranjit Dalal, Director-General of Police, Haryana.
According to a victim (a senior company official) admitted in a Gurgaon hospital, “There was a horde of workers which came up the stairs between 6.30 and 7 p.m. yesterday and started attacking us in our office with rods, car components and tube lights … they hit the women too. We shielded ourselves with tables, while some of us jumped to the first floor. They then set the place on fire.”
A company statement said, “By any account, this is not an industrial relations problem in the nature of management-worker differences over issues of wages or working conditions. Rather, it is an orchestrated act of mob violence at a time when operations had been normal over the past many months. Such acts of violence - pre planned, unprovoked and gruesome - have implications beyond one company or region.”
The statement said “we will shortly announce our decision on the next steps with regard to resuming operations in these facilities.”
However, Mr Ram Meher, President, Maruti Suzuki Workers Union, said that the dispute had started when a member of the management had initially passed casteist remarks on a worker and had later suspended the same worker when he objected. MSWU, union of Manesar plant workers, was formed recently after the labour trouble at the plant in 2011.
Maruti Suzuki shares fell 8.74 per cent to Rs 1,117.35 on Thursday.
Keywords: Maruti strike, Maruti Manesar plant, labour trouble in Maruti, Maruti labour trouble, Maruti Manesar plant strike, Maruti wage settlement issue,
Comments:
Manesar plant is an example of complete Human resources mismanagement as is evident form the results of these issues getting reported . Loss of human life is the failure of HR - unless the function recognises this, they will not take steps. Sad and most unfortunate happeneing in indiaan industrial hisotry. Worker education must be at its low there at the plant. Posibly the average per month earning of teh Staff is stagering higher than the average wage of the workers. Management can change the entire team of HR and w things will improve. Participative magement is not a sin. Japanese way of making men as machines will not work in a country where people are working for living and not vice versa. Japanse can not instigate class trouble in India. Japanese Suzuki managment must apologise for the indian life loss
Move the manufacturing facility to Gujarat. If Maruti stays in Delhi this kind of things will continue to happen. Workers in Gujarat do only work and do not indulge in useless activities like what has happened in Manesaer plant. Also the wages paid in Gujarat are lower so more profit could be made. Lots of losses have been faced by the company till now.
This is demoralising effect on the industralists and this act clearly shows the attitude
in favour of labour and hate towards the industry. Now we think the Haryana Govt
should do the Property dealing of its land bank because it dont need industry.
This is demoralising effect on the industralists and this act clearly shows the attitude
in favour of labour and hate towards the industry. Now we think the Haryana Govt
should do the Property dealing of its land bank because it dont need industry.
Frankly, one wonders why Suzuki management is still having the plant in Manesar when it is clear that the place is unsafe from Industrial relations point. The workers out there are out wreck the Industrial relations climate just like how Mamta Banerjee destroyed the Indusrial development climate in Singur to achieve her political goals. This is not the first time that Maruti plant is experiencing trouble. This has been going on for long time. How tolerant can the management be. Which manager will feel safe to work under such an environment. The Haryana government is useless and inept. They can neither take sides with the management nor with the workers. They will try to compromise. There will be a temporary lull, and then there will trouble again.
Government should intervene, and make sure that both party reaches a
amicable solution.
Atleast now they should wake up without waiting for more casualities.
Sad to read the news, one more HR person loses his life, because he would have been in between the rift of the management and the workers to make peace. Don't know why people don't understand that Unionism has not helped in the past and will not help in future. Industries has closed/shifted to different location the owner may get another set of workers to work for them at their terms, but the worker who fall in the trap of union not only spoil their present but also their childrens and their town/villages future and reputation.
Maruthi should relocate to gujarath and close manaser. there may be
plans afoot to repeat it in other automobile plants. the centre and
states must gather intelligence as to who is behind these sinister anti
social activities and take tuff action to improve the already bleak
industrial scenario
Violent clashes should be avoided. But we support you MSWU, keep
fighting for your cause. You too have the rights to demand a better
salary and living conditions. This is a very important news and to be published with importance br/>every where in India, and also I appeal labor class to abstain from
violence.
this is unacceptable behavior from the workers pushed on by the Unions.
they should be taught a lesson by throwing those responsible for the
death in the jail and throwing those responsible for violence out of
job. In case govt. does not support the management, the company should
close the plant and relocate to some place where such behavior is not tolerated. first from Air India and now from this, it is very clear that
Unions are the relics of the past who can only destroy. they should be
consigned to the dustbin of history.
1. Condolences to the family of Mr.Dev
2. However this is not the first incident and not only in Haryana... In Coimbatore an incident like this happened and there are frequent labour problem in Hyundai,Foxconn etc in Sriperumbudur.
There was also a editorial from Finland saying Nokia pays peanuts to Nokia Chennai employees.
Management need to sit with employees and resolve problems.
HR should not be seen as one sided and should serve as a medium between company and employees. Moving plant to other location without change in labour conditions will not make any change as companies like Foxconn exploited workers outside India as well and is famous for worker suicides.
this is due to our so called intelligent Montaq singh ahluwalia and finance minister and prime minister they says that rupees 32 is enough for a people why this anger brust out because manager gets in lacks and worker gets in only hundred and both gets food item in same rates. it will happen in every factory and every corner of india jab tak salary and profit ke upper koi check nahe lagega
This is HR and managment failure..they must resign by taking moral resposiblity..they have completly failed to do for that are getting paid heavily..
why suzuki is not sharing peanuts from the huge profit they are making..
no fun in blaming the black color workers to balme for your failure..
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