Half of the 900 workers at the General Motors plant at Halol in Gujarat have gone on strike since Friday morning forcing production to a halt. ?The workers have stopped work from the first shift this morning demanding hike in wages and the management is in discussion with them to resolve the issue,? vice-president (corporate affairs) and board member P Balendran told FE. This is the first time that labour stir has hit the GM plant. The company produces 150 light commercial vehicles per day at Halol.
An auto analyst with a global consultancy firm said, ?Over the last 10 years workers have got much more aware of their rights and hence the incidence of strikes have increased. Also due to new auto companies entering the Indian market it has thrown open opportunities for workers to demand higher pay.?
About a year ago, labour stir spread like wild fire across the Gurgaon-Manesar belt which is home to several auto and auto component companies. The strike involving more than 1 lakh workers in 70 companies started at the auto component company Rico Auto. Earlier this year, Hyundai faced similar problems when 200 workers went on an indefinite strike at the Sriperumbudur plant near Chennai. The strike forced the management to set up a committee with representatives from both the government and workers to take stock of the situation.