Talks between Maruti management, workers fail again

The talks, resumed a week after the previous meeting brokered by the Haryana government collapsed, saw the company's recognised workers' body -- Maruti Udyog Kamgar Union (MUKU) -- negotiating on behalf of the Manesar plant employees.

According to the sources, today's talks failed to reach an agreement but there will be fresh rounds of negotiations tomorrow.

"If things progress amicably for all the parties involved, then the help of Haryana government could again be sought to end the stalemate," a source said.

With the management refusing to hold direct talks with the Manesar plant workers, whose demand for formation of a new body Maruti Suzuki Employees Union (MSEU) has been rejected, the workers have authorised MUKU to negotiate on their behalf.

However, it is understood that three representatives of the Manesar plant were also party to today's negotiations.

In the meantime, MUKU President Kuldeep Janghu said it has asked the management to try to resolve the issue at the earliest and the union will observe hunger strike on September 28 in support of colleagues at the Manesar plant.

"We have given a notice to the management about the hunger strike in support of Manesar colleagues, but production will carry on as usual," he said, adding the strike could be withdrawn "if there is positive development".

In the meantime, Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) said it will hold a protest rally in front of the plant in solidarity with a agitators on Wednesday.

"The state government is not playing any active role... We have decided to express our solidarity with MSI workers at Manesar," Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) Haryana State President Satvir Singh told PTI.

He said CITU has invited other national trade unions and company unions in the Gurgaon-Manesar industrial belt to join the protest.

Last week, about a dozen trade unions demonstrated in various places across the country to express solidarity with agitating workers at Manesar plant.

Meanwhile, MSI said it hired 50 more temporary workers at the Manesar plant to ramp up the output further. It rolled out 700 units of its hatchback Swift today.

"The strength of trained and experienced technicians has reached 1,000 in Manesar plants as the company brought in 50 more experienced and ITI trained people today to join the production activities at the plants," it added.

With this, the overall strength of people working at Manesar plant has gone up to over 1,380 people, it said.

On production, MSI said it rolled out "700 units of Swift from Gurgaon and Manesar plants, combined".

Swift has so far received bookings of 1.08 lakh, with waiting periods going up to seven months.

The deadlock between MSI management and workers has been continuing since August 29, when the company prevented them from entering the factory premises unless they signed a 'good conduct' bond, following alleged sabotage and deliberate compromise on the quality of cars being produced.

The company has so far dismissed 33 workers and suspended 29 on charges of sabotage and deliberate quality compromise.

Workers at the plant, however, said the management took these steps to take "revenge" for their 13-day strike in June demanding the recognition of a new union -- the Maruti Suzuki Employees Union -- at Manesar.