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Details about the MARUTHI SUZUKI's Strike Hi,I am a MBA student. I want to know about the Labour Problem which arouse in the Manesar Plant.

Key Details needed:1 Reason for the strike2 How the problem was solved3 What are the mediums used in the solving process( Govt, Mgt, Labor union, Labour Court, etc)4 What is the final resolution of the problem?

" Shared Knowledge is Increased Wealth"

Formation of a Workers Union was the reason.A report in the web on the Strike goes on like this:

"At least 2 million workers work in hundreds of units situated in the vast industrial belt in and around Gurgaon.There are around 1 million workers work in the units of automobile industry alone. These workers who produceauto parts for companies from all over the world in modern factories have to work in very bad conditions. Morethan 90 percent of these are contract workers who work for 10-12 hours for 4000-5000 per month. The workload

and speed is extremely high and they have to face verbal abuse and even beatings by the supervisors and securityguards. Most of the factories do not have unions and where the workers have managed to form a union, they haveto face constant harassment. The established big unions do nothing except paying lip service to the issues and inmany cases have ditched the workers in favour of the management. In this scenario, the issue of the right to forma union is a common and universal issue in the Gurgaon industrial belt.

The pamphlet distributed by the Bigul Mazdoor Dasta says that not only the workers of Maruti Suzuki but workers

all over the country are being denied the right to form their unions so that they can raise their voice unitedlyagainst their exploitation. That‟s why the demands of Maruti workers find resonance across the region.

Further material in www.outlookindia.com | Lockdown And After goes on like this and gives a balancedperspective.All other views were mostly supporting the Management.

"In many ways, the 13-day strike at Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, India‟s largest automobile manufacturer, was awake-up call for the Indian corporate sector. Not only did it illustrate the unity among the company‟s workers, butwith workers and unions across states voicing support, it threatened to flare up into a wider industrial dispute,giving strong signals of a resurgence of trade union activity in the country.

It wasn‟t a wage hike or improvement in working conditions but the right to form a union—something of a rarity inthe new industrial ecosystem in India—which saw 3,000 employees of Maruti‟s Manesar plant in Haryana striking

work on June 3. The plant workers wanted to register a new union—the Maruti Suzuki Employees Union (MSEU)—and had already applied for registration, something the management was opposed to. Maruti officials were notavailable for comments when contacted.

 “Managements do not want to have unions. They want to make the unions subservient to their interests.”GurudasDasgupta, CPI

Union activities of yore, like the long-drawn Bombay textile strike in the 1980s, had of late seemed a thing of thepast. In the last decade or so, due to new management practices of hiring employees on contract and not puttingthem on the rolls, the number of industrial disputes and strikes in the manufacturing sector had scaled down fromaround 250 in 2004-05 to under 100 in 2010. In 2011, this has been the only major strike so far.

Labour leaders contend the lack of union activity in the industrial sector is because of large-scale suppression of labour rights and union voices. Says Gurudas Dasgupta, general secretary of the CPI-supported AITUC, “Managements do not want to have unions. They want to make the unions subservient to their interests andcompel the workers to be part of a union controlled by them.”  

Adds Dipankar Mukherjee, secretary, CITU, “Post-1991, all companies, be they mncs or Indian, have not wantedunions to be formed. It‟s a pattern among new companies also, they either do not want unions or have „pocketunions‟ who support the management.”  

The fact that incidents of flash strikes or even violent attacks on members of the management have not yetdissipated is testimony to the fact that all is not well on the labour front. The corporate sector, however, disagreeswith this view, contending that best management practices are being followed. As Y.K. Modi, chairman and CEO of the Great Eastern Energy Corporation and a former FICCI president, puts it, “The very fact that industries

everywhere are generally having uninterrupted activity without labour trouble illustrates that there have beengood practices mostly. Since the issue at Manesar was amicably settled through discussion, there‟s no reason to

react on this matter.... I do not see the emergence of an era of nationwide militant trade unionism.”  

The fact that 65 unions in the nearby industrial belts of Noida, Dharuhera, Manesar and Gurgaon had voiced theirsupport and about one lakh workers from 50-odd industrial units in these areas had decided to go on fast last

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Friday reflects a different workers‟ perspective. Interestingly, many of these companies are associated with theautomobile industry.

 “Nations are competing against each other for market dominance. Any disturbance affecting productivity is

bad.”Y.K. Modi Ex-FICCI president

Although the strike at Maruti has been called off and the matter resolved for the time being, there are husheddiscussions across companies on the way managements handle workers and trade union issues. Says BMSspokesperson Amar Nath Dogra, “A strike is not the first but the last option for workers. If it happened, it wasbecause there were issues with the way the management dealt with workers‟ demands. There is a mechanism

where workers and management recognise unions and decisions are taken with mutual discussion. We areconcerned about the way the company handled the situation.”  

Experts stress that the trend of hiring workers on contract rather than taking them in as permanent employeesgives company managements the right to hire and fire on issues of performance or in times of recession,something not easy in case of permanent employees under Indian laws. According to rough estimates, over 50 percent of workers in most of the large companies are on contract and do not have rights to join unions or can only join one that is recognised, even suggested, by the management.

The general view among workers is that managements cannot dictate which unions workers should get affiliated toas it is their right to register or join a union. Says Mukherjee, “Employees have the right to form unions. Labourlaws do not give managements the right to dictate which union the workers should join or what their politicalleanings should be.”  

The demand for a new union at Maruti‟s Manesar unit may be a signal of discontent amongst workers regardingmanagement practices and their own rights and the lack of a redressal mechanism. Coen Kompier, labourstandards specialist with the International Labour Organisation (ILO), says, “In general and compared to manyother countries, the industrial relations system in India is very confrontational, which harms the interests of allparties.... A new era in the trade union movement will happen only if unions can operate in full freedom.”  

 “The employers haven‟t acted intelligently here. Their actions harmed Maruti‟s productivity,” says ILO‟s Kompier.

The CPI‟s Dasgupta remains optimistic that the Maruti strike will “open up the scope of the trade union movementand will work towards unity of workers and inspire them in future.” Given the fact that the 13-day strike led toproduction losses of over 12,000 cars and business losses of over Rs 400 crore, the corporate sector obviously hasa different view. One which is strengthened by the fact that apart from Maruti, vendors and companies associated

with it also suffered significant losses. “Industrial disputes anywhere are bad. These cause losses for both workersand investors. Consumers too face problems. All nations are competing against each other for market dominance.Any disturbance affecting productivity is bad,” points out Modi. 

So what‟s the way forward for companies and workers? Modi feels there must be more effective utilisation of industrial dispute resolutions as contained in the ILO governing council resolution on tripartite consultationconvention 1976, a part of the ILO Plan of Action 2010-16.

Considering that neither the BJP-led NDA government nor the Congress-led UPA one has shown any political will topursue labour reforms, including ensuring that workers (whether permanent or contractual) are given their legaldues, it may finally fall on the workers and union leaders to chart their own course. Unless, of course, thegovernment wakes up to the need to strike an equitable balance. "

More materials are available in the web .

rajanlawfirmPls see :Legal Compliances required for the Staffing Industry 

aussiejohnSubject - Re: Details about the MARUTHI SUZUKI's Strike There is plenty of information on Google about this.

As part of your MBA studies you are supposed to be learning how to research and synthesise information to writeyour reports.

If you ask other people to do the work, YOU end up learning nothing. In that case, why are you bothering to studyfor an MBA?

maruthi suzuki strike - Google Search 

K.V.MohananSubject - Re: Details about the MARUTHI SUZUKI's Strike I agree with John. The persons who are helping you are also taking pain to collect the information. The same canbe done by MBA students.

Without any malice

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 Mohanan

Noida.

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Maruti Car Insurance Covers Plastic & Metal Parts.Hassle Free Claims Service.Buy OnlineNow! royalsundaram.in/Maruti_Insurance 

sadishshanmugamSubject - Re: Details about the MARUTHI SUZUKI's Strike Quote:

Originally Posted by K.V.Mohanan 

I agree with John. The persons who are helping you are also taking pain to collect the information. The same can be done by MBA students.

Without any malice

Mohanan

Noida.

Thank You for ur Feed Back... Instead of Agreeing with Mr John, you would have stated some more tips for me, it

would have been more Helpful.. Thank You...sadishshanmugamSubject - Re: Details about the MARUTHI SUZUKI's Strike [QUOTE=aussiejohn;1634090]There is plenty of information on Google about this.

As part of your MBA studies you are supposed to be learning how to research and synthesise information to writeyour reports.

If you ask other people to do the work, YOU end up learning nothing. In that case, why are you bothering to studyfor an MBA?

Sorry, it is a communication mishap from my side... I already got the data related to the issue from the net... Idata is not clear and I am not satisfied with mine. So, I posted the Question only to get more details.

Actually, ALL I WANT IS HOW THE PROBLEM HAS BEEN SOLVED? I knew, It was Labour Minister of the State andthe Unions were involved in this, But i want indepth knowledge...

I kindly Oblige your advice...Thank You...

sadishshanmugamSubject - Re: Details about the MARUTHI SUZUKI's Strike Mr. Rajanlawfirm

Thank you very much.... Thank You....

aussiejohnSubject - Re: Details about the MARUTHI SUZUKI's Strike I am sure the court proceedings from this case will be recorded somewhere. Rajanlawfirm may be able to assistwith information as to where you would find that.

Secondly, one idea maybe that you make a list of the questions you have based on your research, and forwardthose to the Office of the Minister of Labour f the State concerned. I would also suggest approaching the Unionconcerned for their insights into the case.

As a MBA student, you are being trained and tested on your ability to do serious research and that often involves

thinking outside the square. I would suggest that if you can get information direct from the actual participants inthe case, then that will enhance your project, and your sense of achievement will be far greater than just askingCiteHR members to give you the information.

sadishshanmugamSubject - Re: Details about the MARUTHI SUZUKI's Strike Quote:

Originally Posted by aussiejohn I am sure the court proceedings from this case will be recorded somewhere. Rajanlawfirm may be able to assist with information

as to where you would find that.

Secondly, one idea maybe that you make a list of the questions you have based on your research, and forward those to theOffice of the Minister of Labour f the State concerned. I would also suggest approaching the Union concerned for their insightsinto the case.

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 As a MBA student, you are being trained and tested on your ability to do serious research and that often involves thinkingoutside the square. I would suggest that if you can get information direct from the actual participants in the case, then that will enhance your project, and your sense of achievement will be far greater than just asking CiteHR members to give you theinformation.

ssues Between the management of Maruti Suzuki and their workers are still not resolved which has taken the ongoing strike toenter in the 11th day. This ongoing strike at the Manesar plant has cost the production loss of approximately 9000 cars which is a

big revenue loss. Maruti Suzuki have agreed to the workers demand by accepting the new union and agreeing on taking back thefive laid off workers but protestors are still not ready to negotiate with the management.

Haryana labour commission is not in favour to see the new union being formed. To support Maruti workers, tomorrow more than 50unions from Gurgaon-Manesar belt will be going on a 2 hour tool down strike. Approximately 50,000 workers will not be working for2 hours to stand in support to the workers of Maruti Suzuki Manesar unit. It seems this strike will stay on till the demand to takeback all dismissed workers by Maruti Suzuki management and new commission by Haryana labour commission will not be fulfilled.

CURRENT AFFAIRS  MARUTI 

Why they strike. Why you should care

What is happening in Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant? How do workers present their case against the noise of 

modern India? The devil is in the details, f ind Nisha Susan & Gaurav Jain  

SONU GUJJAR is unprepossessing. Small, slender, boyish. No f ire and brimstone union leader, this. In our

age of email and anger, a 24-year-old Indian worker leader prefers to f ind his advantages in wit and paradox.

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I t is already Day 14 of the Maruti

Suzuki workers‟ agitation for their 

r ight to unionise. Under the pink tent

across the street from the company‟s

plant in Manesar, Haryana, when

Sonu begins speaking to the group of

around 1,000 permanent and 2,000

contract workers, he is soft spoken. It

takes a while before you realise the

challenge his rhetoric poses. Going

over the blandishments and threats

that have come their way since the

young workers f irst began their f ight

for representation, he has a way of

making them sound r idiculous. When

told that the workers can come back

to work if they agree that several

others stay terminated, he

suggests “Haan theek hai” , perhaps

the management can arbitrari ly f ire some executives as well. Just to level the playing ground. Whenever a

polit ician or Maruti Suzuki executive tries to claim to be „like his grandfather‟, he smilingly welcomes the

epithet. He says when it was suggested that good conduct means workers should not talk to each other, he

replied “Bhai theek hai”  — he‟s game if his superiors agree no t to talk to each other too. Just to keep things on

par.

 A subsi diar y of Japan ‟s Su zuki Moto r Co rp ora tion , Ma ru ti Su zuki Indi a Lim ite d is Ind ia‟ s lar ges t aut omobi le

company with a major share of the country‟s car market. Since trouble began in June, most m edia reports have

only discussed labour militancy, the „unfortunate‟ delays in the production of the new Maruti Swift, and the

happy but sl im resumptions of production. Meanwhile, the workers talk of their urban catt le l i fe, a l ivel ihood

most of us would f ind unacceptable if applied to us.

Here is what a Maruti Suzuki worker says his average day at the Manesar plant is l ike. You catch a bus at 5

am for the factory. Arriving a second late to punch in your card means a pay cut, but you can‟t leave the

premises once you‟ve entered. At 6.30 am, you exercise and supervisors give you feedback on your previous

output. Start work at 7 sharp. Everyone does his one task — assembling, welding, f ixing — for a minimum of 8

continuous hours. A car rol ls off the l ine every 38 seconds, which means you can‟t budge from your position,

ever. You get two breathless breaks during the day. At 9 am, a 7 -minute break to drink tea or go to the loo, or

both. After a while you might, l ike many of your fr iends here, end up taking your hot tea and kachori to the

bathroom with you. Then a lunch break of 30 minutes, in which you walk about a half ki lometre to the canteen,

wait in l ine with everyone, eat and walk back. Returning even a minute late from any break, or leaving the

assembly l ine for any reason even for a minute, means half a day‟s pay cut. Older systems used to include an

overseer for every small group of workers who could step in i f someone needed to take a breather. But, the

cost logic of production is perennial ly at odds with workers‟ rights.  

All zindabad Sonu Gujjar (standing far left) and Sonu Nehar (far right) rallying the workers

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Sonu‟s rhetoric pierces our mute acceptance that the world can function as it does only if some unfortunates

are treated like this. If we don‟t blink at seeing a man climbing down to unblock a sewer for a few hundred a

month, it‟s likely we think of a Rs 16,000 factory job with a uniform as clean and comfortable. But even the

salary is an illusion, as the workers‟ salary slips show. A baseline of Rs 8,000 is all most are guaranteed. Take

a day from your legally granted casual leave or sick leave, for any reason, and lose Rs 1,500. Take two and

lose Rs 3,000, and so on up t i l l half your salary disappears. When TEHELKA emailed Maruti Suzuki asking

about conditions like break durations and pay cuts, their official spokesperson responded: “If at tendance is

below a certain level, performance incentive is less to that extent. The terms and condit ions of al l workers,

including duration of breaks, are uniform for employees in Gurgaon and Manesar.”  

IN DECEMBER 2010, the Manesar workers began discussing how to f ield their own candidates for a new union

instead of being folded into the Maruti Udyog Kamgar Union (MUKU), the only recognised company union.

MUKU is viewed as a management- control led union mainly for the Gurgaon plant workers, whose spir i ts were

crushed during their own agitations in 2000. MUKU has tradit ionally not held elections. Workers know that the

time-honoured management tactic is to f ire their leaders. Since December, the Manesar workers and

management have played a game of hide and se ek.

Sonu Gujjar was deliberately an unlikely choice. He has pride in his work ethic and has won the best operator

award and the MD‟s award for best employee. Over five years, his attendance has averaged at 98 - 99 percent.

No trouble was expected from him. He is a manifestation of what the workers say their MBA-toting seniors are

unable to conceive: a unionised workforce that has r ights and is also interested in raising outputs in the hope

of prosperity. After word leaked that Sonu was going to stand for ele ctions for a new union, he says he spent

entire days in the company‟s HR office being counselled and cajoled. Bribes, threats, dire predictions, a

conversation with the MD — the company only managed to convince its workers that i t is not on their side and

they‟d better watch out.  

On 3 June, the Manesar workers formally applied to form a separate union called Maruti Suzuki Employees

Union (MSEU). They say the company responded by suspending 11 workers and sending bouncers to force

them to sign blank pieces of paper. The workers struck work on 4 June and held a sit- in inside the plant for 13

days t i l l their 11 colleagues were reinstated, though the main issue of unionisation remained unresolved. They

allege the management next resorted to things l ike putt ing c ockroaches and dead f l ies in their canteen food — 

fact or angry rhetoric, there‟s little way of verifying.  

Meanwhile, the f i le to register MSEU in the labour off ice was cancelled. Reasons: the employees resorted to

an illegal strike; among those who‟d signed for a new union, many sti l l retained MUKU membership; some

signatures didn‟t match with the registered ones. The revolting workers say they‟d all resigned from the old

union and these technical reasons merely indicate how hand-in-glove the Haryana government is with Maruti

Suzuki.

The Trade Union Act says the union should be of the workers‟ choice and should have annual elections, else

the labour commissioner can disband it. After the June agitations, MUKU perhaps felt compelled to hold its

f irst elections in almost a decade in July 2011. The Manesar workers say they‟d have abstained anyway from

voting for this “pocket union” but the elections were designed to happen without their participation. Maruti

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Suzuki‟s official spokesperson told TEHELKA that sinc e MUKU is a company- recognised “representative body

of the workers”, “all workers can channelise their suggestions and grievances through this body”. In a

conversation with TEHELKA, the recently elected MUKU General Secretary Kuldeep, who works at the

Gurgaon plant, remained vague about previous MUKU elections, saying that they happened by a show of

hands, while the spokesperson said, “We cannot comment on internal matters of the union.”  

The dirty agendas and chequered record of many unions may create suspi cion but shouldn‟t negate workers‟

right to organise. The spokesperson told TEHELKA that “outside control of unions by nonemployees is an

unhealthy practice and the company does not permit it”, and that it wants only “one single union with no

polit ical aff i l iat ion”. When pressed on how the new union would have polit ical aff i l iation, outside control or 

non-employee partic ipation, the spokesperson only said, “We have stated the principle. We have not

commented on any specific outfit.”  

There‟s a darker back story of Maruti Suzuki unions. Before MUKU there was the Maruti Udyog Employees

Union (MUEA). In 2001, Suzuki took over the company and won a case to appoint i ts own MD, and theGurgaon workforce protested subsequent salary cuts and w ork intensif ication. There was a grim three-month

battle with water cannons, mounted police and hunger strikes ending in MUEA leaders‟ arrests. The

management recognised a new union called MUKU and insisted — as it is doing now — that al l workers sign a

good conduct bond. Many MUEA sympathisers were terminated. MUEA was derecognised by the government

on charges that still lie in court. Over the next year, around 1,000 workers were offered a Hobson‟s choice of 

voluntary retirement or termination.

Throughout

the current

crisis, the

company has had on its side the police, the labour commissioner, the polit icians, i ts bouncers as well as most

of the media. On 28 August, Maruti Suzuki called a large police backup inside its Manesar plant and

suspended 21 workers on charges of “sabotaging production and deliberately causing quality problems”, and

terminated or suspended some others too. The alleged sabotage is of “vehicle door no t properly clamped

leading to doors fal l ing during production, cutt ing wir ing harnesses, dents on the body and crit ical components

not fitted on vehicles”, but the spokesperson presented no evidence to TEHELKA of these charges except

pointing to declining production and „Quality OK‟ numbers on 23, 24 and 25 August. The spokesperson

wouldn‟t confirm if there‟s any video evidence from the numerous surveillance cameras but did claim to have

photographs.

In the fol lowing days, there was a plant lockout with the company saying only those who signed a „Good

Conduct Bond‟ could work, so that it gets the legal right to fire anyone who indulges in “go -slow, intermittent

stoppage of work, stay-instr ike, work-to-rule, sabotage or any other activity having the effect of hampering

normal production”. Plus a double whammy —  if they didn‟t sign, they‟d be considered on strike. The workers

have refused, demanded their 49 colleagues‟ reinstatement and held regular demonstrations.  

The MBAs can’t conceive unionised workers who also want to raise production outputs  

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WORKERS RECOUNT how str ikes have hit the Harya na automobile belt over the years. There was a police

action on a Honda workers‟ demonstration in 2005. Hero Honda saw 3,000 workers doing a five -day occupation

the next year. Rico Auto faced a 43-day strike in 2009 that also hit General Motors‟ production in the US.

Most observers say that the condit ions in Maruti Suzuki are not that different from other companies. But the

Manesar workforce is an anomaly. The plant started in 2006, so most of the labour is st i l l new in i ts s ervitude.

Almost al l the men are under 25, unmarried and recent graduates from an Industr ial Training Institute (ITI) in

their part of India. Facts they hold up frequently with the line: “We can‟t be pushed to go back to work because

we‟re not worried about children or house loans.”  

As importantly, the wedge between permanent and contract workers hasn‟t solidified here as it has in older 

plants, where both groups work together for massively disparate pay for the same work. Hence the unique

scene in Manesar where both groups are agitating in solidarity. Says J John, a Delhi-based expert on labour

issues, “What is of concern is that 60 -70 percent of this sector‟s workers are labelled contract workers,

trainees and apprentices. Companies use the freedom of contract labour to continuously replace workersthrough the system. They are bringing in a new culture where negotiations are with individual workers, not

collectives.”  

Most of the workers are l ike Bittu, st i l l a bit astonished that this is his youth. Bittu grew up in a farming family

in Narwana, Haryana. He and his two friends wanted to be teachers but he couldn‟t afford the training course

and opted for the one-year ITI course. At ITI, everyone dreamt of companies like Honda and Maruti Suzuki. “If 

only someone had told me what it‟s really like,” he now rues. “I persuaded two cousins recently against

following me. I made them go into other courses.” Or take Sonu Nehar, an assured rebel who‟s worked here for 

five years and says, “My wife is the principal of a private school in Gurgaon. We can fight for a better future.”  

Why are these Sonus and Bittus standing so determinedly against the mighty Maruti Suzuki‟s record of dealing

with worker unrest? Sonu Gujjar shrugs. “I grew up 20 km from here,” he says. “My parents are small farmers.

My uncle is a major in the army. Another is fair ly high-up in Delhi airport security. I talked it over with al l of

them. They said: „If thousands are willing to trust you, don‟t let them down.'” You get a better hint from

Joginder Singh, a 28-year-old and one of the few workers with children, who says, “My wife and I talked it

over. We decided we‟re young enough to fight this. What do we have to lose? If we win, we don‟t have to be

slaves any anymore. If we lose, I‟ll find work somewhere else.” This is the nub tha t nobody outside the

protestors‟ tent seems to see. The workers will find other work, perhaps even change industries. Many secretly

welcome the prospect. But even if Maruti Suzuki replaces its Manesar workforce with a new one, as it is

threatening to do, how wil l i t ensure that i ts new workers — also young, educated, unmarried and with nothing

much to lose — wil l not also eventually agitate for a separate union? The f ight wil l be determined by who

caves in f irst. For now, the workers say they are ready for the long haul. They invoke Gandhi frequently, of

how young Bhagat Singh was when he died. And suddenly you get a glimpse of India‟s famed demographic

dividend. Young people who have enough selfworth to decide that the Maruti Suzuki „Way of Life‟ is subhuma n.

Why is the company refusing to even acknowledge the need for a structural solution — improving worker

condit ions and admitt ing their r ight to organise? Maruti Suzuki Chairman RC Bhargava reassured the

company‟s AGM this month: “The Manesar labour proble m is essential ly a polit ical issue and not a problem

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which involves any significant demand from the workers.” Similarly, Suzuki Motor Corporation Chairman

Osamu Suzuki, on an India trip this month, told MUKU representatives: “Indiscipline is not tolerated… not in

Japan, not in India. It is never in the interest of any company and its people.” From top down, the entire

corporation is now parroting its emperor‟s brush -off about „indisciplined‟ workers.  

As this goes to press, the Suzuki Powertrain plant and the motorcycle plant have also struck work in solidarity

for their assembly line comrades in Manesar. The company‟s core crisis team is scrambling to manage these

unanticipated eruptions. J John comments, “We should ask if the person producing a product is d enied l iving

wages and human rights. Who is producing this car that I‟m buying, and at what cost?” This is the structural

corruption of companies that squeeze heavy margins by keeping their workers unorganised and unempowered,

by keeping them informal hostages. It makes us all who work in and consume these companies‟ products

complicit with their decay.

http://tehelka.com/story_main50.asp?filename=Ne240911Why.asp#**** 

 Workers strike at Maruti's Manesar plantPress Trust of India, Updated: June 04, 2011 21:37 IST

New Delhi: The country's largest carmaker, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI), said on Saturday that work at its Manesar plant was

affected this afternoon when a section of workers went on a strike.

"A section of workers stopped work for a few hours on Saturday afternoon at Maruti Suzukis Manesar plant," the company said in a

statement, without specifying the reasons for the strike.

Management representatives were talking to the workers to understand the situation and find an appropriate solution, it said.

MSI, which has a plant each at Manesar and Gurgaon, did not say how much production was affected as a result of the strike.

Further, it said its operations at its Gurgaon facilities were normal.

Sources among workers said the striking employees were demanding the recognition of a new union formed by those working at the

Manesar plant in Haryana.

"There is an old union under the Maruti Suzuki Kamgar Union, which is mainly dominated by those working at Maruti's Gurgaon

plant. We had formed a new body named Maruti Suzuki Employees Union, mainly by workers at the Manesar plant, and have been

asking for recognition from the management," said a source.

The management was not recognising the new body, the source claimed.

Besides, the workers were demanding that no action must be taken against the 11 office bearers of the new union. They were also

asking for retention of old contract workers for the upcoming two new units at the Manesar plant, the source said, adding that there

 were around 2,000 employees at the Manesar plant.

MSI is setting up two new units with an annual installed capacity of 2.5 lakh units each inside its Manesar facility at a total

investment of Rs. 3,625 crore.

 While the existing plant in Manesar can produce 3.5 lakh units annually, its three units in Gurgaon have a combined annual

capacity of 8.5 lakh units.

8/3/2019 MARUTI STRKIE RASONS

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The last time the company witnessed a major strike was when workers stopped production for three months from November 2000-

January 2001.

http://www.ndtv.com/article/india/workers-strike-at-maruti-s-manesar-plant-110186?cp