TUs seek better industrial ties

Manesar plant unions ask management to address workers woes

 Shaken by the suspected infiltration of Maoists into the Manesar plant which is believed to have resulted in the July 18 violence, trade union leaders have urged the Maruti Suzuki management and the government to address immediate demands of the workers, and discover ways of establishing a “cordial industrial atmosphere in the area”.

According to the leaders, sorting out the troubled industrial relations could be the only way for Maruti Suzuki to extricate itself from the current situation.
They also fear “indiscriminate arrests” may further alienate workers.
Seasoned trade unionists are worried about the suspected infiltration, which they believe would threaten the peaceful means of protest undertaken by the trades union for several years.

“Though it could only be known after investigations are complete, we can not rule out involvement of Maoists in July 18 incidents. We are seriously discussing the issue and are alive to the threat,” said AITUC leader VL Sachdeva.
He holds both Maruti Suzuki management and the government responsible for the situation. “They have been behaving undemocratically. Workers feel suffocated as their urge to form trade union was suppressed for a long time. The vacuum has led to this situation,” he said.

Sachdeva explained how labour laws are being violated and the workers exploited.
“They are being paid a very low wage. More then 50 percent of workers are on contract and get one third of what regular workers are getting,” Sachdeva said.
 CITU Chief AK Padmanavan is not satisfied with the constitution of the Special Investigative Team (SIT) and demands an independent probe.

Expressing concern over the freefall of industrial relations in auto industry, Padmanavan said the Haryana government even failed to fulfil the demand it agreed to last year of setting up tripartite and welfare committees.

He also asked the authorities to “stop arrests and victimization.” Delhi state secretary of CPIML-Liberation Prabhat Kumar Chaudahry suggested a comprehensive view of the issue.

“Last year there was no violence, but this time the situation deteriorated to the extent that large scale violence erupted there. The company and the government are to blame for it as they did not pay attention to the workers’ problems,” he said.