Fresh crisis hits Maruti plant

Management, workers at Manesar lock horns over conduct bond

The situation has once again threatened to hit an already deficient production at the Maruti plant. The 13-day strike in June this year had left a production deficit of 12,500 cars.

The management has suspended 21 workers in the last few days in wake of the controversy over the ‘good conduct bond’.

There was a heavy deployment of police outside the plant as workers staged a protest aganst the bond. Sources said, besides the issue of  bond, the management was also concerned over likely attempts at tampering with components during the production process and the resultant impact on the quality as well as quantity of cars being produced at the plant.

Company sources alleged that certain workers had been deliberatly trying to reduce output and compromise with customers’ interests. The quality issues were detected at the quality check within the factory during an in-house quality inspection and no
customer was impacted, they added.

The good conduct broadly entails that workers will sign a statement that he will observe normal discipline in the factory and not engage in “go-slow” approach.
Maruti’s production has been inching towards normalcy ever since its first strike in June this year.

The Manesar plant produces an average of about 1200 cars a day. On August 24, against a target of 1,200 cars per day, only 437 were assembled, out of which just 96 cars could pass the quality check.