Around 84 employees of Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant stayed away from work on August 24 fearing backlash from those who had been sacked for their suspected role in the July 18 violence. Their abstaining from work comes just after Central trade union flayed the management of the Indo Japanese automaker for sacking 500 workers.
According to reports, the unions accused the state government of siding with the management rather than taking steps to solve their issue. The workers have also made a demand for the security cover around the premises to be removed.
The move to abstain by the workers has resulted in less than a 100 cars a day rolling out the facility. The Manesar plant produces the Swift and the Dzire, two models which currently have seven month waiting period and are in great demand.
Meanwhile Osamu Suzuki, chairman of Suzuki Motor Corporation, visited the Gurgaon plant, under a heavy security cover, but skipped the Manesar facility. He addressed a gathering of around 200 employees. This number included those who had been injured in the violence.
He also met Gujarat chief minister, Narendra Modi, to discuss the setting up of skill development centre along with it’s under construction Rs 4000 crore plant at Hansalpur. The aim of the centre said RC Bhargava, chairman Maruti India, was to sensitise employees to an Industrial culture. He added that the company will send around 500 employees to Japan to train on working at the new facility which is due to be ready by 2016. This will be the first time that Maruti is moving out of Haryana since it came here in 1982. The new plant is expected to provide jobs for 2000 people.
