Bajaj claims sabotage by staff at Chakan plant

There is worker unrest at Bajaj Auto's Chakan plant near Pune, according to the company. The management claims "some of the union activists are sabotaging machinery/equipment, causing deliberate production loss" and "creating an atmosphere of terror by agitations in the plant".

The unit makes the Pulsar and KTM range of motorcycles. It had seen a 50-day showdown between management and workers over pay rise and reinstatement of suspended workers last year. Later, the management decided to give a phased increase in pay of Rs 10,000 a month.

"The Vishwa Kalyan Kamgar Sanghatana (VKKS) is making irrational demands in the case of the Chakan plant, where the workmen have much lesser experience than the Akurdi (its other Pune factory) workmen. The raise of Rs 10,000 a month given to the Chakan workmen with five years of work experience is the same as that of Akurdi workmen with experience of 25 years of service and is the best rise in the Chakan industrial belt," the company stated. The average cost-to-company of a Chakan workman was now about Rs 35,000 a month, the company said.

VKKS is the recognised workers' union at the partially closed Akurdi plant, also the company's headquarters. The union has been accused by Bajaj of trying to influence workers at Chakan, where there is no union. VKKS signed a memorandum of understanding with the Bajaj management for a wage revision of Rs 10,000 earlier this month for Akurdi. "...the workmen (at Chakan) are going through appropriate disciplinary proceedings. Management wishes to inform that Bajaj Auto continues to believe in its fair and firm approach towards industrial relations," Bajaj Auto added.