GM readies plan B starts recruiting

The strike at the General Motors (GM) Halol plant is taking a new turn, as the company has started recruiting temporary workers to run the plant. GM, however, did not operate two-shifts today at Halol.

P Balendran, director and vice-president, corporate affairs, GM India said, "More workers have reported to work today, some even came in the afternoon. The plant is operational in the afternoon as well, we have made over 100 vehicles today. We, however, chose not to operate the second shift." He added that the company had already started recruiting temporary workers who are now put on training.

The workers were given a 48-hour deadline on March 22, which ended Friday morning. GM had appealed them to join work within March 25. More than 650 workers have already joined work. Close to 200 are still on strike.

Nihil Mehta, INTUC Gujarat president said that as workers were not allowed to assemble in front of the plant at Halol, they had gone to protest in front of the district collector's office at Godhra. "We will take our protest to Gandhinagar if need be", he said. The Gujarat government has declared a prohibition on any public assembly under Section 144 of the Indian Penal Code near the Halol plant Wednesday night.

A worker at the plant said that more workers have joined here, and they are now on training. "Work will continue in the afternoon today as well, more workers are joining in.", he said.

Nearly 900 workers at the plant had gone on an indefinite strike from second shift on Wednesday, March 16. While the strike is yet to be called off completely, more and more workers are joining in everyday. GM officials had met Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi yesterday.

Balendran had claimed that the meeting was a pre-scheduled one, and not particularly on the pretext of the strike.