Maruti Workers Strike Despite Major Opposition As 2000 workers in Maruti factory in Gurgaon demand the right to form their own union, the company as well as the Hayana government have gone on an offensive.

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More than 2000 workers of the Maruti Suzuki factory at Manesar, Gurgaon are on strike since last June 4 and are sitting inside the factory itself. Their demands are totally lawful. For now they are just demanding that their legal right to form their own union be recognised. According to them, the Maruti Udyog Workers’ Union based at the Gurgaon plant which is recognized by the Maruti management is totally under control of management and it has been ignoring the demands of the workers of Manesar factory. As per the labour law, they have all the rights to form their own union and all the workers support this demand. These include a large number of contract workers and apprentice workers who have been working in the factory for years.

But the management of Maruti, in a totally illegal manner, has refused to give recognition to the union and is adopting fascist tactics to break the agitation. It is getting open support from the Congress government of Haryana in this move.

The documents which were submitted by the workers to the office of labour commissioner of Haryana at Chandigarh by the workers were immediately sent by the labour commissioner to the management of Maruti Suzuki through fax. After this, the management started pressurising the workers to sign on a blank paper. According to the workers, it was to be used as an undertaking from them that they wanted to remain in the old union itself. It was against the threats and intimidation and forcibly taking signatures that the workers went on strike from June 4 and decided to stay put within the factory itself.

The management immediately declared the strike as illegal and the 11 leading workers were dismissed. Even the Haryana government followed suit and has declared the movement as illegal.

The workers are sitting inside the factory gates for last 10 days. The management has disconnected the electricity and water supply in the factory premises and even the canteen has been closed down. The workers are sitting in the same dress for last 11 days in excruciating summer heat but they are sticking to their demands. Large number of police personnel and armed security guards of Maruti are deployed at the factory gate who stop everyone at a distance of 100 meter from the factory gate. Not even the media persons and the relatives of workers are being allowed to meet the workers. The relatives who take food to the workers inside are also being threatened and intimidated.

The state government is brazenly standing with the management of Maruti Suzuki. For last few days, a farce of negotiations was being played in the presence of the labour minister of the state in which the management remained  adamant on not giving recognition to the union and not reinstating the 11 dismissed workers. But the labour minister has given a statement that “the kids (i.e. the workers) are committing stupidity. These days one hardly gets a job  and therefore they must return to work”. Openly forsaking his responsibility to enforce law he has said that now the state government would not intervene between the management and the workers. In other words, the management is free to deal with the workers in whatever manner it wants.

The management is trying to end the strike by tiring out the workers, threats and cheap tricks to demoralise them. The contract workers are being forced to take their remaining wages and leave the premises. Even the workers' families are being pressurised to ask them to end the strike.  The farce of talks is being extended even while  the Maruti Suzuki management is not ready to negotiate on any of the demands.

The central unions have played the same role they have been playing in most of the struggles in the past years. Some unions have been trying to "own" the agitation and claiming that the newly formed union is affiliated to them but the reality is that they have done nothing to support this militant strike continuing since July 4 except issuing statements in the media.

At least 2 million workers work in hundreds of units situated in the vast industrial belt in and around Gurgaon. There are around 1 million workers work in the units of automobile industry alone. These workers who produce auto parts for companies from all over the world in modern factories have to work in very bad conditions. More than 90 percent of these are contract workers who work for 10-12 hours for 4000-5000 per month. The workload and speed is extremely high and they have to face verbal abuse and even beatings by the supervisors and security guards. Most of the factories do not have unions and where the workers have managed to form a union, they have to face constant harrassment. The established big unions do nothing except paying lip service to the issues and in many cases have ditched the workers in favour of the management. In this scenario, the issue of the right to form a union is a common and universal issue in the Gurgaon industrial belt.

The workers of Maruti Suzuki, Manesar may earn a little bit more than other workers but they too work in very bad conditions. The work load is very high and sometimes they have to work for even 16 hours at a stretch. Getting a leave or off day is extremely difficult and heavy fines are imposed for even a few minutes delay. They get two short breaks of 7-8 minutes for lunch and tea, even toilet breaks are not allowed in between. They have to face abuses and threats if they refuse to work overtime. This is the reason behind the resolute struggle of the workers to form their separate union.

We appeal to all democratic rights activists, intellectuals, jurists, media persons and justice loving citizens for solidarity and support to their just struggle.

 What you can do:

- We request that you send a letter of protest through email, fax, phone, letter and telegram to the Chief Minister, chief secretary, labour minister and labour secretary of Haryana and the officials of Maruti Suzuki India and Suzuki Japan, send memorandums and run a signature campaign to protest the repression of workers. The addresses, email ids, fax number etc are given below.

- Spread the news of this agitaion through your website, blog and facebook and appeal for support.

-  We request that teams of civil rights activists should come to Gurgaon and investigate the situation, prepare their report and let the voice of justice reach the government and people.

- We urge that you organise protest demonstrations on this issue in Delhi, Chandigarh and other cities of the country.

-  If friends from Delhi and other cities can come to Gurgaon and extend their support to the workers’ movement and launch a 'satyagrah' in their support, it will strenthen their struggle.
 

- Citizens Front in Support of the Maruti Udyog Workers’ movement

Contact: Sandeep (8447011935), Sourav (9811841341), Satyam (9910462009), Rupesh (9213639072)

email: sandeep.samwad@gmail.com, souravbanerjee25@yahoo.co.in

 

Contact details of officials of Haryana govt., Maruti and Suzuki:

Sh. Bhupinder Singh Hooda,
Chief Minister of Haryana
Room No. 45, 4th Floor, Haryana Civil Sectt.,

Chandigarh

Office Phone: 0172-2749396, 2749409, Fax: 0172-2740526, 2740519

Residence Phone: 0172-2749394, 2749395, Fax: 2740596

EPBAX Ext. 2401, 2402

Email: cm@hry.nic.in

 

Shri Pt. Shiv Charan Lal Sharma

Minister of Labour, Haryana government

2740145 Ext : 2638, 2794617

 

Maruti Suzuki India Limited
Nelson Mandela Road,
Vasant Kunj,
New Delhi-110070
Board no.46781000
Fax : 46150275 and 46150276

Email: contact@maruti.co.in

 

Suzuki Motor Corporation

 

Head Office:

300 Takatsuka

Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432 8611

Japan

 

Mailing Address:

Hamamatsu-Nishi, P.O. Box 1

Hamamatsu, Shizuoka 432-8611

Japan

Tel: (81) 534402061

Fax: (81) 534402776

Email: autopr@suz.com

 
Posted by collective at June 18, 2011 05:15 PM