Maruti sacks 5 more workers, hires 100 new for Manesar plant

In a statement, the company said five workers were dismissed "on charges of attack on three supervisors and a worker last Friday". It added that an FIR was lodged against the dismissed workers at the Manesar Police Station.

During the first two days of the stand-off that began on August 29, Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) had dismissed five permanent workers. With the latest dismissal, the total number dismissed worked has gone to 10.

MSI had also suspended 26 permanent workers and discontinued the services of another 18 trainees on disciplinary grounds.

The workers could not be reached for comments.

In the meantime, MSI said it recruited the first batch of 100 new regular workers to meet the manpower shortfall at Manesar plants.

"In the last two days, the company has identified a significant number of eligible and capable people. From among them, the first batch of 100 people has been issued appointment letters today," the statement said.

To scale up production, and minimise dependence on permanent workers, who have refused to sign good conduct bond and remained absent from work at Manesar plant, MSI will continue to recruit more regular workers in coming days, it added.

MSI said it produced another 500 units of its Swift model from its Gurgaon and Manesar plants. Before the problems with workers erupted, the Manesar plant was rolling out about 1,200 units a day of its models, including Swift and SX4.

Ruling out any dialogue with the workers, the company said "it will not enter into any dialogue with striking workers. It will focus on scaling up production levels by recruiting fresh manpower at Manesar plants".

Trouble at the Manesar plant began last month when the management prevented workers from entering factory premises unless they signed the bond, after allegations of sabotage and deliberate compromise on the quality of cars being produced surfaced.

Meanwhile, indicating that that the labour unrest MSI is spreading to surrounding areas workers at auto component-maker Munjal Showa Ltd's Manesar plant resorted to a strike today hitting production.

MSI has about 2,500 workers at the Manesar plant, out of which nearly 1,000 are permanent.

As of today, the company said 104 workers have signed the good conduct bond that required the workers to declare that they would "not resort to go slow, intermittent stoppage of work, stay-in-strike, work-to-rule, sabotage or otherwise indulge in any activity, which would hamper the normal production in the factory".