Toyota agrees to lift lockout on Monday

Ending the five-day-long impasse following a strike by the workers demanding wage hike, Toyota Kirloskar Motor management on Thursday agreed to lift the lockout of its two plants at Bidadi near here on March 24 after government’s conciliatory efforts.

Sources in the Labour department said several rounds of talks had taken place ever since the trouble broke out between Toyota Kirloskar and the workers’ union. The management, however, said it would take certain disciplinary action against some of its employees. It is also seeking an assurance from the union that such lockout should not be repeated in future, the sources said.

The factory management and the labourer unions locked horns over wages earlier this month, leading to a lockout on March 16. The workers were demanding a wage hike of Rs 4,000, while the management was not willing to increase it beyond Rs 3,050.

The decision of lifting the lockout was welcomed by the State government, the Labour department and the union.