The short tenure of peace brokered by Maruti Suzuki management to end the workers’ agitation would not have surprised the observers of industrial relations (“Shooting at Maruti Manesar plant, 10 workers sacked,” October 10). The management arrived at an agreement on its terms with the support of a trade union that got an active helping hand from the state government, keeping away the union that actually pioneered the agitation.
The agreement suffered from lack of parity of strength resulting in an “armed truce” from the striking workers and not an abject surrender. It needed to be implemented in letter and spirit so that workers did not suspect the intentions of the management. It seems the management failed on some of the assurances about the re-induction of dismissed labour.
The hope that signing the oxymoronic “voluntary commitment bond” would ensure compliance could have been justified if the union that signed it enjoyed majority support. Maybe, moving from punitive action to negotiations with a spirit of accommodation and cooperation would help.
Y G Chouksey, Pune
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