Toyota stalemate ends, workers resume duty

About 2,000 employees reported to work in the first shift

Ending the over month-long stalemate, employees of Toyota Kirloskar Motor resumed work today at the company's two Bidadi plants near here after the Karnataka government asked both the management and the Union to restore normalcy in operations.

"We have resumed work today as per the orders of Karnataka Government; about 2,000 employees have reported to work in the first shift at 5:45 am, another group has reported to second shift at 2:45pm," Toyota Kirloskar Motor Employees Union General Secretary R Satish told PTI.

However, he said that they will continue to contest with management on issues including wages and suspension of 30 employees, he added.

About 4,200-member Union at its general body meeting held last evening had decided to resume work from today following Karnataka government's order to both the management and the union to restore normalcy in operations.

The company in response to a query said, "All workmen have come to work as planned."

Toyota's operations had been affected ever since the union demanded a wage hike of Rs 4,000 as against Rs 3,050 proposed by the management.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor, a subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corp of Japan, had on March 16 declared a lockout, after talks between the management and union over wages failed.

The lockout was lifted on March 24, but employees did not resume work as they objected to signing a good conduct undertaking as demanded by the company and pressed for withdrawal of suspension orders.