Trade unions offer a hand to Toyota staff workers, we are with you

Plans massive rally in city on March 7

The trade unions of Bangalore-based factories have come together to form a joint forum to express their solidarity with the striking Toyota Kirloskar Motor Employees Union (TKEU).

The union has been on a serial hunger strike against the management since Sunday last. The trade unions under the banner of Bangalore United Trade Unions Forum (BUTUF) have decided to hold a joint convention on February 13 (Monday) at the Town Hall to press for their demands and chalk out the future course of action.

The demands of TKMEU include reinstatement of three employees dismissed early last month and withdrawal of the suspension of 27 employees for indulging in vandalism during the recent strike at the company's Bidadi factory.

"We also want the government to hold an inquiry under the Industrial Disputes Act into the dismissal which was effected without issuing a chargesheet," V G K Nair, general secretary, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) told reporters here.

The convention will not only discuss the TKMEU issue but also chalk out their regionwise campaigns to be held from February 20 to March 4 "to expose the false claims of the management and government so far and give the correct picture to workers and people", AITUC general secretary H V Ananthasubba Rao said.

The convention will focus on "threats our workers face from MNCs and will decide to go on a massive trade union strike involving all the factories in Bangalore on March 7 in case the present government fails to respond to the request of the TKMEU," he said.

Coming down heavily on the TKM management, Nair said: "So far the (TKM) management have refused to state the reason for the dismissal of employees."

The employees of Toyota Kirloskar Motor struck work on January 6 to protest the dismissal of three of its employees following which the management declared a lockout on January 8 but lifted it on January 21 "following a demand by many workers to do so and their willingness to sign a good conduct declaration".

The management had suspended the workers on January 20 for their behaviour during the 15-day strike at the company's passenger car manufacturing plant in Bidadi. Since 1999, the management has dismissed over 50 employees, Nair said.