Negotiations to end Maruti strike break down

**New Delhi:**Talks between the management andworkers on strike at the Manesar plant of Maruti Suzuki India,that were brokered by the Haryana government, have brokendown.

Officials of Haryana labour department held talks withworkers of Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) and Suzuki PowertrainIndia Ltd (SPIL), as well as their managements during the day, buta solution to end the 12-day-long stir remained elusive.“The local administration and the management made bestefforts to resolve through dialogues with the strikingworkers. However, the workers maintained an adamant attitude,due to which the issues could not be resolved,” a companyspokesperson said.

[caption id=“attachment_110971” align=“alignleft” width=“380” caption=“Workers denied taking a rigid stand and blamedthe management for adopting pressure tactics.AFP Photo”]  [/caption]

Workers, however, denied taking a rigid stand and blamedthe management for adopting pressure tactics to end the stir.Shiv Kumar, the secretary of the unrecognised MarutiSuzuki Employees Union (MSEU) alleged that the workers arebeing harassed by the management in collusion with the statelabour department officials.

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“Today we were called for talks at 10 am at Gurgaon whilethe timing for internal inquiry against us by the managementwas kept at 11:30 am at Manesar. We can’t be at two places atthe same time,” Kumar said.

He said even the second round of talks for the day wasscheduled at 6 pm while the inquiry was still on.“We could not attend the second round of talks. So we

requested for adjustment of the timings, but they have notlistened to it” he said.

Meanwhile, MSI claimed it rolled out 350 cars from theManesar plant for the first time since 7 October when thelabourers struck work.

“The Manesar plant had started with 180 workersyesterday. They were from among those who were notparticipating in the strike. The number of workers went up to400 on Tuesday,” the company said in a statement.

MSI’s Gurgaon plant manufactured 1,750 vehicles today,the company said.

“In all, the company produced 480 Swift cars in Gurgaonas well Manesar plants on Tuesday,” it added.

Earlier in the day, MSI admitted that the company needsto learn how to deal with a young workforce as it grappleswith frequent labour issues at its Manesar plant.“I think somewhere some learning for us also (isrequired) on how to deal with the young people… In thatsense, maybe some more education should have been there fromour side,” MSI Managing Executive Officer (Administration) SY Siddiqui said.

Admitting that with better understanding, the gaps couldhave been addressed earlier, he said: “Perhaps, goingforward… (the emphasis will be) on more education ofworkers. It is a question of how you create an environment and

how you adapt to it. It is a two-way process.”

He, however, also blamed inexperienced workers for thetrouble, saying they need to “have some respect for law”.Workers of the carmaker have been on strike demandingthe reinstatement of about 1,200 casual workers. They are alsodemanding that all 44 permanent workers who were suspended

after a settlement agreement signed on October 1 to end a 33-day-long standoff must be taken back, along with those whohave been fired during the ongoing protest.

Workers at SPIL and Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd hadalso gone on strike in support of their colleagues at MSI, andare continuing their stir.

PTI