Apollo Tyres mgmt meets workers, strike continues

Management-worker next meeting on November 1

Even after representatives of the Bhartiya Majdoor Sangh (BMS) met Apollo Tyre officials on Tuesday, a resolution to the impasse is yet to be reached. The workers' strike at the plant continues, with around 800-900 of them not reporting to work.

K O Shah, deputy labour commissioner, labour department, government of Gujarat informed that a meeting indeed took place on Tuesday, but no consensus has been reached between workers and management. "We are trying to work a way out of the current problem, however, the issue has not been resolved yet", he said. A follow-up meeting has been fixed on November 1.

Workers have been protesting against the suspension of two employees at the company's Waghodia plant near Vadodara, and are also demanding recognition to the newly formed workers' union BMS. This apart, BMS has also raised issues related to the 2010 wage settlement agreement. Hussain Solanki, president, BMS said, "We want the wage agreement to be revamped we are not happy with the gradation system mentioned in the agreement."

Solanki added that in on Tuesday's meeting the BMS placed its issues before the management. "The Apollo Tyre official said that he needs to check with his higher authorities and will get back to us. Another meeting has been fixed on November 1. We would continue to be on strike", he said.

When contacted, a senior official in Apollo Tyres said that, the radial tyres plant at the campus was functioning smoothly. The workers were striking at the nylon tyre plant. While Solanki claimed that the company was facing losses worth Rs 6 crore per day on account of the strike, the company, however, did not wish to put a figure to production losses yet. Shah informed that around 800-900 workers are on strike at the nylon tyres plant, while the other plant within the same campus is functioning properly. There are around 7000 workers at the Waghodia plant.