The Madras High Court on Monday ordered senior officials of the Directorate of Industrial Safety to visit the Sriperumbudur factory of Renault-Nissan on Tuesday to ascertain whether Covid-19 protocols are followed in the factory.

“It is hoped that after the day off today, the workmen will resume their duties tomorrow, so that the inspection may be made and representatives of the workmen may interact with the concerned government official, along with the representatives of the management, to check the relevant parameters and arrive at some form of solution,” said the order by Chief Justice Sanjib Banerjee and Justice Senthilkumar Ramamoorthy.

The interim order was on a petition filed by workmen of Renault- Nissan (India) Pvt Ltd Through Renault - Nissan (India) Thozilalar Sangam on following Covid-19 protocols in the factories.

The management and the workers at the Renault-Nissan India manufacturing facility at Sriperumbudur are in conversation, but several unresolved issues remain. It is the assertion of the petitioning workers that the employer cannot avail of the exemption to the lockdown without complying with the attendant conditions of maintaining Covid protocol, particularly social distancing.

Distancing norms

According to the workmen, the distancing norms cannot be maintained in the production procedure adopted by the employer, particularly in the assembly line.

It appears that a member from the Directorate of Industrial Safety paid a visit to the factory on May 26, but the factory was closed on that day.

The workmen did not report for duty on Monday in protest against the perceived non-adherence to the Covid protocol by the employer. The employer, however, maintained that all precautionary steps have been taken and the employer is open to any surprise or other inspection by an appropriate government official to ascertain whether Covid protocol is maintained at the factory.

It was suggested by the workmen that if there is a gap between two cars in the assembly line, social distancing norms may be maintained by allowing three or four workmen to work on the vehicle at a time, instead of six or eight of them working on one vehicle at the same time. It is also submitted on behalf of the workmen that the wearing of face shields may not be appropriate and, in any event, dents and damages cannot be conveniently identified through a shield.

The court order hoped that all safety norms are in place and there is no compromise on such an account to keep up the production at the factory. The distancing norms have to be maintained without exception. For such a purpose, the management and the workmen should continue their discussions to arrive at a reasonable solution in the course of the week.

Stress on amicable solution

It will be open to the management or the workmen to request the concerned government official to be present during the discussions to mediate between the two sides, if necessary. It is hoped that an amicable resolution be reported to the court when the matter appears on June 4. The employer should indicate the number of workmen infected, including the details of how many are in hospital and how many are at home, the order said.

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