No re-opening is yet in sight for Maruti Suzuki’s strife-torn, arsonist-attacked plant in Manesar.
The automaker said in a statement on Friday it had started assessing the extent of damage and “remains concerned about the safety of its people”.
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Ten days after the union violence that led to a fire in which an HR manager was killed, “the culprits responsible for the carnage and arson continue to be at large,” Maruti said.
“Considering the threat perception due to overall law and order situation in the region, it is difficult to ascertain when the company will be able to start the Manesar plant. The company will announce its decision to this effect only when it is assured of employee safety.”
Almost 100 managers and supervisors sustained injuries and had to be hospitalised. The attackers also set fire to the office wing and the main gate.
A local report this week suggested the new union at the plant had, back in April, made some extraordinary wage and conditions demands, including substantial increases in pay, a special bonus for each new model launch, housing, transportation and so on. This report, which claimed that one of the key negotiators had disappeared after the riot, could not be verified.
Meanwhile, affected suppliers have urged the automaker to re-start the plant as soon as possible.
Maruti reportedly has run out of factory stock of its popular Swift and Dzire models, for which waiting lists are as long as six months, but has 10,000 in transit and is still taking orders.
Hyundai India reportedly has been urging its dealers to take advantage of Maruti’s woes by promoting its models as alternatives to the affected Maruti models.
