As the workers' strike at Maruti Suzuki's Manesar plant entered it sixth day on Thursday, close to 1,500 workers from some 20 other companies in the region gathered in solidarity to put pressure on the company's management.

A striking Maruti employee told Business Line that employees from automotive and supplier companies, such as Hero Honda, Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India (HMSI), Sunbeam Auto and Rico Auto, demonstrated outside the Manesar plant.

They, too, have threatened a strike across the facilities in the Gurgaon-Manesar belt, if Maruti does not accede to the worker's demands, he said.

“Our brothers will file their strike notices if the Maruti Suzuki management does not give in to our demands within 24 hours. It may soon become a pan-NCR struggle,” said a striking worker.

Over 2,000 striking workers are demanding recognition of a new union at the Manesar plant — Maruti Suzuki Employees Union (MSEU) — and reinstatement of sacked workers.

“We are supporting Maruti workers along with other trade unions. However, affiliation is their choice,” said Mr Gurudas Das Gupta, General Secretary, All India Trade Union Congress.

Asked if workers' union in other companies in the region are likely to go on strike as well, he said, “It's natural that workers follow other workers' interest.”

By end of Thursday, Maruti Suzuki is expected to have lost production of 5,200 cars, and revenues of about Rs 180 crore.

The company's shares on Thursday closed at Rs 1,217.05 apiece, down by 1.32 per cent over the last six days on the BSE.

Meanwhile, a Maruti official said that both its plants at Gurgaon and Manesar would be closed between June 19 and 26 as part of routine bi-annual maintenance exercise.

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