With no solution in sight to the ongoing stand-off between the management and workers at Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant, both sides hardened their stance as the agitation entered the fourth day.
At around 4.00 pm, an army of 2,500-3,000 workers from neighbouring factories assembled at Gate No 2 of Maruti’s plant to show solidarity with the protesting workers, sending a strong signal to the management that they had to fight a united workforce. “Our main demand is that the suspended workers should be taken back to work,” said Mathew Abraham, a suspended former union leader of the company who was guiding the agitation.
Shiv Kumar, general secretary of the unrecognised Maruti Suzuki Employees Union (MSEU), said the protests would continue until the management accepted their demand and revoked the mandatory ‘good conduct bond’ it insists all workers must sign. He said the company should also give recognition to the new labour union at the plant and take back the suspended employees.
“The protests will continue till the demands are met. We will intensify the protests from tomorrow,” Kumar said, adding: “We have the support of all the local unions and we will raise the issues with the district collector.”
According to D L Sachdeva, general secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), who was present at the protest site, at least 35 worker unions from the the surrounding areas are supporting the Maruti protest. He believes their numbers will grow by the day. “We are backing the workers in this protest. The demands of the workers are legitimate and the protests will continue till they are accepted by the management. We also have the support of the local unions here,” said Sachdeva.
Company officials said, on condition of anonymity, the management had decided not to take back the suspended workers under any circumstance. “Signing the good conduct bond will remain mandatory,” said an official.
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Both sides said no efforts were made from either parties to start a dialogue. “We have received no message from the government. There is only a loudspeaker that is giving a message,” said Kumar. The Maruti management had put up a public address system to convey a series of recorded messages. According to Sachdeva, during an evening meeting among local unions it was decided that if a solution did not emerge soon, the strike would be extended to the entire region of Manesar-Gurgaon. “If there is no solution in sight, we plan to execute a direct action programme where all workers will be asked to either give-up work for two days or a strike will be launched for a day in the industrial belt,” said Sachdeva.
While the AITUC is visibly supporting the agitation, the stalemate at the Maruti plant has united all major trade unions. “Our trade union is supporting the protest at the Maruti Suzuki plant. The company is acting with vengeance to terrorise the workers. The management wants to just terrorise the workers of the factory. They are not interested in a solution,” said Tapan Sen, general secretary, Centre of Indian Trade Unions.
Brij Nath Rai, general secretary of the Bharat Mazdoor Sangh, the largest union in terms of membership numbers, said their organisation was providing ‘moral’ support to the agitation. “We are providing moral support. Our union is not directly present there, but we have directed all our unions around there to provide all possible support to the protest on Thursday.”
G Sanjeeva Reddy, president of the Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC), said: “Maruti’s management is anti-labour. They are victimising workers. There is no question of negotiation on this issue.”