Hero MotoCorp's Haridwar factory shut for three days

People closely following the issue said the management may take some harsh measures against the factory workers shortly

In a new twist to the labour unrest hitting the Hero MotoCorp's Haridwar production unit, the management has closed the factory, which is considered to be the world's largest two-wheeler facility, for three days.

"The Hero group's factory has been closed for three days since Wednesday," said Ashok Vajpayee, assistant labour commissioner, Haridwar. The factory will open on Saturday, he said.

An email sent to Hero MotoCorp seeking their version did not yield any response till the time of going to press.

The main reason behind the move was the ongoing slowdown strike by the factory workers during the past few months, said the labour department officials who are keeping a close watch on the factory's labour problem. The motive behind the shutting down of the factory for three days was not officially known. But the people who are closely following the development said the management may take some harsh measures against the erring factory workers shortly.

After the last year's strike, a labour unrest has been plaguing the country's largest two-wheeler makers Hero MotoCorp's Haridwar production facility after the suspension of nearly 27 workers.

"These 27 workers had been resorting to protests at Hero Group's Haridwar motorcycle plant for the past one year," state Labour Minister Harish Chandra Durgapal told Business Standard.

The unrest stemmed from the suspension of 38 workers from the company's Haridwar plant last year. However, after some time, the management reinstated 11 of them. The remaining 27 workers are now staging protests and dharnas outside the unit. In support of these 27 workers, other workers of the factory were resorting to slowdown tactics inside the factory which is adversely affecting the production.

Significantly, a similar labour unrest had hit the Haridwar unit last year also, with workers stopping production work to demand the reinstatement of a permanent employee suspended by the company management. However, the management later resolved the issue. But after some time, the management suspended 38 workers in September last year. Since then, the labour unrest is continuing at Hero MotoCorp's Haridwar unit.

The Haridwar unit is Hero MotoCorp's largest facility and produces best-sellers like the Splendor and Passion. A total of 56 models are being produced in the factory. Hero MotoCorp employs around 2,500 workers at Haridwar and their salary packages are considered to be one of the best in the industry.

The unrest in Hero's Haridwar unit is the latest in the series of labour strikes in the automobile industry in India in the recent past.

In the past few years, the auto sector has lately been plagued by a series of labour disputes across companies, such as Bajaj Auto and Maruti Suzuki.