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Two days after Chief Minister Narendra Modi’s claim about ‘no labour problem in Gujarat’, a workers’ unrest has surfaced at General Motor’s Halol plant near Vadodara where around 450 contractual workers began staging dharna (sit-in) outside the factory premises since Friday, opposing auto major’s move of giving fresh appointment letters to only a few selected workers.
Out of the nearly 700 contractual workers at GM’s Halol unit, around 450 workers have stopped work since Friday and are sitting outside the factory premises staging protest, a worker union leader said. GM makes Tavera SUV at its Halol plant.
Unrest at L&T’s Hazira unit
What’s more, a labour unrest has been brewing at L&T’s Hazira unit for several months. And finally nearly 1,000 regular workers have called strike from December 16 for wage revision. Demanding equal pay hike as that of workers in the company’s Powai unit near Mumbai, the workers of L&T’s Hazira unit have approached the Gujarat High Court for justice.
“A court order is pending. Workers are not going for work and the company too can’t take action against the workers. The strike has completely stalled key operations at the unit, where skilled job is required.” claimed Ashok Dhomse, a workers’ union member in Surat.
Interestingly, Modi had, at a FICCI meet in Gandhinagar on January 15, claimed industrial peace, saying there were no labour problems in Gujarat.
Labour unrest at L&T’s Hazira unit had been brewing for the past 20 months as the wage hike was pending. “Over 120 meetings have taken place between the management and the union. In times of high inflation, a better pay hike is required. But management did not agree, hence we had to approach the court,” said Dhomse.
The workers at GM’s Halol unit have alleged company of discrimination between the workers by giving fresh appointment letters to only a few workers.
“A regular employee gets around Rs 15,000 per month as wage, while contractual worker gets only Rs 5000-6000 per month. Our demand is to make the salary of contractual workers at par with the regular employees,” said Nihil Mehta, general secretary of Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC).
“Giving appointment letters to a few and not all is an attempt to shatter the unity of workers,” he said adding that the company had restricted many of the workers from entering the factory premises on Friday.
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