Strike-hit Bosch moves in staff from Nashik, Pune plants

Automotive components giant Bosch, whose manufacturing unit at Adugodi near Bangalore has been crippled by an indefinite strike called by workers, is moving in personnel from its Chakan plant near Pune as well as its Nashik operations to Bangalore to make up for deficits in production.

Sources aware of the development said that the labour shift is temporary. “At least 50 workers were asked to report at the Bangalore plant sometime last month. It is not known if this will make up for the shortfall, but at least the first shift will be taken care off,” sources said.

The strike has continued despite the Karnataka government prohibiting it with immediate effect on Friday last. 

The Bosch spokesperson did not comment or revert on queries regarding the labour transfers from the Chakan and Nashik plants to Bangalore in a bid to revive production at the Adugodi plant.

The spokesperson denied that the management has sent a notice to workers asking them to resume work by next Tuesday at the earliest. “We haven’t sent any such notice,” the spokesperson said.

When contacted, Mico Employees Association President S Prasanna Kumar said that a complaint has been lodged by the unions at the Adugodi police station on Friday against the Bosch management to deploy staff from the Nashik plant even as the management has been undertaking talks to settle the issues.

“We came to know of the management’s decision to deploy around 30 employees at the Bangalore plant. They can’t do the work efficiently as they are not trained for that particular work. Since this decision is against the interests of the striking employees, we decided to lodge a fresh complaint against the management’s decision,” Prasanna Kumar said.

He said the management has been sending feelers to the striking workers in a bid to resolve the wage hike issue pending since January 2013. “We have discussed all outstanding issues to find a solution to this strike. Since the management is yet to approach us with a solution, I can’t reveal the exact details. I am expecting their reply at any point of time,” Kumar said. 

The management had approached the employees on Thursday to hold discussions on Friday to end the strike.

Industry watchers said that the Bosch management is facing pressure to resume work at Adugodi in the face of depleting inventories and risk of defaulting on supplies to customers. 

The company normally maintains a 5-week inventory schedule, but as the strike has been going on for over a month, inventories are almost exhausted.