Normalcy is likely to return to the Manesar plant of Maruti Suzuki, which has been witnessing a labour strike for over a week. In the first signs of compromise, the country?s largest car maker is willing to recognise a new union if the striking workers drop their demand of bringing politicians as office-bearers into the new union.
As reported by FE on Saturday, the workers were demanding the freedom to appoint a third of its 11 office-bearers?of Maruti Suzuki Employees Union (MSEU) from outside. The move, if approved, would mean office-bearers of other unions such as All-India Trade Union Congress (Aituc), Centre of Indian Trade Unions (Citu) and Indian National Trade Union Congress (Intuc) could have direct representation on the company?s union board without being employed by Maruti Suzuki.
Managing executive officer (HR, Finance & IT) of Maruti Suzuki SY Siddiqui told FE that the company would not tolerate any kind of ?external affiliation?. However it, would be willing to recognise a new union for the Manesar region, he said. ?We are not going to allow external affiliation for our union. The company has had a union for 27 years, hence any new worker representative body must stay within the union framework Maruti has followed for so many years,? Siddiqui said.
The company?s compromise formula had also been discussed with the workers on Saturday when they had met with the labour commissioner of Haryana. Siddiqui said that within the company?s union framework there could be more than one union which would report to a joint-governing council of workers. ?We understand that in a new plant workers may want to organise themselves in a new representative body. However, it has to meet the conditions,? he added. He also ruled out reinstating the 11 workers who were laid off for inciting other workers to join the strike.
Sources had earlier indicated that the Haryana government had banned the strike since it did not want ?external elements? to be a part of Maruti union and disrupt its functions. ?This demand is unacceptable since it would allow outsiders from other unions to come and form a part of the core committee, who literally have nothing to lose,? a senior Haryana government official had said.
Aituc National secretary DL Sachdev said that as per the Trade Union Act, at least 25% of the office-bearers can be from outside. ?Though at present there are not too many auto companies which have used this clause, Maruti cannot change it. This is not a new demand by the workers but an existing provision in the law,? he said. Over the last nine days, Maruti Suzuki?s loss has been over Rs 300 crore with the production of models like A-Star, SX4 and DZire being severely hit. Since the strike began, Maruti has refused to make an exception maintaining all along that it needs to reach a long-term solution to the problem.