[Reader-list] Fwd: STRIKE IN MARUTI SUZUKI AND SEVEN OTHER FACTORIES IN MANESAR: THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES

[Zainab Bawa]

---------- Forwarded message ----------
From: nayan <nayanjyoti at gmail.com>
Date: Fri, Oct 7, 2011 at 10:07 PM
Subject: STRIKE IN MARUTI SUZUKI AND SEVEN OTHER FACTORIES IN MANESAR: THE
STRUGGLE CONTINUES
To:


*STRIKE IN MARUTI SUZUKI AND SEVEN OTHER FACTORIES IN MANESAR:*

*THE STRUGGLE CONTINUES*



The struggle of the workers in Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, IMT Manesar refuses
to die, and just when quietening under settlement truce, has stood up again,
gathering political edge and crucial concrete support among workers in the
area. *In a significant development this morning, 7th October 2011, the
workers in seven nearby factories along with workers of MARUTI SUZUKI INDIA
LTD, IMT MANESAR have gone on strike. These are workers in the nearby plants
of SUZUKI POWERTRAIN INDIA LTD. and SUZUKI CASTINGS (Plot 1, Phase 3A), and
SUZUKI MOTORCYCLE INDIA PVT. LTD (in the Gurgaon-Manesar road), along with
the workers of LUMAX AUTO TECHNOLOGIES LTD (165, Sector-5), SATYAM AUTO
COMPONENTS LIMITED* *(26 C, Sector - 3), ENDURANCE TECHNOLOGIES LTD ( Plot
no. 400, Sector 8), HI-LEX INDIA PVT LTD,** (**Plot No.55
Sector-3)**completely halting production.
*


The more than 10000 workers in these factories have stood with the
struggling workers in Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) and are demanded an
immediate settlement to the issue of targeting of contract workers in MSIL
since 3rd October 2011, and that the management of MSIL refrain from its
continuous activity of unfair labour practices vindictive attitude, even
after the settlement between the workers representatives and the management
on 30th September.



Suzuki Powertrain India Ltd., which manufactures diesel engines and
transmissions for supplies to MSIL and has an annual production capacity of
3 lakh units, has around 1250 trainee and permanent and over 600 contract
workers; Suzuki Castings, a part of Powertrain, has around 375-400 trainee
and permanent and over 500 contract workers, while Suzuki Motorcycle India
Pvt. Ltd., has around 1200-1400 workers who relentlessly produce around
1,200 motorcycles and scooters a day. These around 4500 workers along with
the over 5000 workers in the nearby plants of Lumax Auto Tech Ltd, Satyam
Auto Components Ltd, Endurance Technologies Ltd and Hi-Lex India (P) Ltd.,
have joined forces with the around 1000 permanent workers inside the plant
and the around 1200-1300 workers who sit outside at the gate of Maruti
Suzuki India Ltd.



The build-up to this strike has of course been the long struggle of the
MSIL, under Maruti Suzuki Employees Union on the right to organize and
unionise, against the vindictive attack on workers by the management with
the state administration, police and even the media towing its line. The
struggle which begun this time on August 29th during the attack by the
management terminating and suspending 62 workers, came to a settlement
between the management of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd., IMT Manesar, and the
workers representatives on 30th September 2011. A crucial aspect of the
settlement was that the permanent workers union fought for the right of the
18 terminated trainees who otherwise have insecure nature of jobs. This,
more than its economist nature, shows a political understanding and a unity
among permanent and contract workers which is the basis of the strength of
the struggle.



The settlement also binds the management to not take any action on the
workers in ‘bad faith or with vengeance’ but this very unity of the workers
during the struggle and after the settlement was not acceptable to the
management of Maruti Suzuki, which is hell bent of breaking the spirit of
solidarity and struggle among the workforce. For it, after partial
production resumed this Monday, 3rd October, the management was more
interested in furthering its agenda of attack on workers’ unity through
various means rather than resuming production. A reshuffling on the assembly
line was done to this effect, with workers who have worked for four years on
a line, shifted to some other area on the shop floor. More importantly,* the
around 1000-1200 contract workers were not allowed to enter the factory
premises and were turned back from the gate when they reported for duty on
Monday. This was done, as is the management ploy in the area, to pit the
contract workers against the permanent workforce and to break their spirit
of struggle and unity.*

* *

When the leadership of Maruti Suzuki Employees Union (MSEU) met the DC,
Labour Commissioner and other state authorities against this unfair labour
practice of the management of MSIL, and against the spirit of the settlement
of 30th September this week, they got empty assurances, and dismissive
attitude. The management was however adamant that its project of teaching
the workers a lesson is not over and refused to budge from its position. It
in fact, used a contractor, Rakesh, who brought in 10-15 ‘bouncers’ to
threaten and physically assault the workers when they gathered outside the
gate today, to provoke the workers so that the police could be brought in
again.



These conditions of the complete anti-worker attitude of the management of
Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, its relentless vengeful attack on the solidarity of
workers, its refusal of work to contract workers even after the settlement,
its use of legal and illegal measures to crush the spirit of struggle of
workers must stop immediately, and we appeal to all concerned to stand in
solidarity with this continuing struggle of workers.




Nayanjyoti

on behalf of Krantikari Naujawan Sabha
part of the solidarity effort with struggling workers of Maruti Suzuki



-- 

"nothing is stable, except instability;
 nothing is immovable, except movement."

engels, 1853



-- 
Zainab Bawa
Ph.D. Student and Independent Researcher

http://writerruns.wordpress.com/
... ambling along roads and courses, not knowing whether I am running
towards a destination or whether the act of running is destination in itself