Workers at Bosch's Bangalore plant began a relay hunger strike at 10 a.m. on Sunday.
They are protesting against the company's decision to outsource manufacturing of certain products made at the Adugodi facility.
“For the first few days, we have decided that five workers will fast each day, and if the management shows no inclination to resolve the issue, we will start a mass hunger strike with all the 3,000 members participating,” Mr Raghavendra, executive committee member of the MICO Employees' Association (MEA), told
The workers have been on a ‘tool down' strike for the last four days. They said they have intensified the strike after the management did not cooperate with the State Labour Department and the association in resolving the matter.
The Labour Commissioner had called the two parties for a conciliatory meeting on Friday, which the company management did not attend. The meeting was rescheduled for October 4, Mr Raghavendra said.
“Meanwhile, we (the MEA) plan to take up the issue with the Karnataka Law Minister, the Labour Minister and the Labour Secretary,” he said.
Mr Sanjay Chakravarty, General Manager - Corporate Communications, Bosch Group India, said the company would meet the Labour Commissioner on October 3; “We will not be able to comment on anything to the media till then,” he said. As regards the charges of ‘illegal' shutdown of the plant, Mr Chakravarty said that the plant had indeed not been shut down and there was only “partial suspension of a couple of processes”.