Thousands of workers continue to occupy Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant in northern India as the bitter dispute surrounding union recognition threatens to drag in other labour bodies.
More than 2,000 workers are staging a sit-down protest inside the factory following the dismissal of 11 workers as staff try to secure formal acceptance of union recognition.
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“We are calling for the termination of the 11 workers to be revoked,” All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) national secretary Darshan Sachdev told just-auto from India. “The workforce says it will only start production when the 11 are taken back and given assurances they [management] will not interfere in the union.
“Hopefully there may be a way out, but if there is no way, from tomorrow (9 June) representatives of 60 unions will stage a kind of demonstration in front of Maruti Suzuki to express solidarity.”
The national secretary did not rule out the dispute escalating either should no resolution be forthcoming. “If there is no settlement, there could be more action including going on strike in support,” he said.
Sachdev added other unspecified unions had formed a joint action committee to highlight concerns that management should recognise the right to form what he termed a Maruti Suzuki Employees Union.
The AITUC national secretary also claimed he had heard management was ready to recognise a labour body as long as it did not associate with any politically motivated trade union, although there was no way of verifying this.
Despite noting the AITUC was not an arbitration service, Sachdev insisted his federation wanted the stalemate to end and the workers to resume production.
He also said there were police at the factory gate “because of this apprehension,” but that the situation remained peaceful.
Attempts by just-auto to contact Maruti Suziki today (8 June) were unsuccessful.
