Hero MotoCorp workers to go on hunger strike from Thursday

The workers at the Gurgaon unit have been agitating for the past two months to press ahead with their demand for higher wages

The workers at Hero MotoCorp’s Gurgaon unit will go on a hunger strike from Thursday to demand higher wages.

In a meeting on Monday with members of the company’s Dharuhera facility, members of Hero MotoCorp Workers’ Union (HMCWU, Gurgaon unit)  decided to initiate an indefinite fast from February 28.

“Even in the latest round of talks held with the management last Friday, the company refused to budge from their stance. We have the support of our colleagues at Dharuhera. We have now decided to go on hunger strike to press our demands. A notice has been sent to the company,” said Bhim Rao, general secretary, HMCWU. No date has been finalised for the next round of talks. Only the union members of HMCWU will go on hunger strike, so that production is not hampered at the facility.

Workers at the Gurgaon unit have been agitating for the past two months for higher wages. They have been sporting black arm-bands and have stopped taking tea and snacks offered by the company. While the employees are demanding an increment of around Rs 15,000 in monthly salary, spread over a period of three years, the management is reluctant to increase wages beyond Rs 7,500-9,000 in monthly settlement. “We have not stopped work but have been protesting peacefully. But the management is showing no signs of relenting,” said a worker at the Gurgaon factory.

Last month, workers at the unit reportedly slowed production operations. Following this, the company issued showcause notices against six members of the union for disrupting production operations on January 23 and January 24.

The workers at the Gurgaon factory had also held a ‘gate meeting’ on February 12 where strike was discussed as a last resort. The meeting was attended by members of CITU, INTUC, AITUC and union members from Maruti Suzuki and Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India.

Hero MotoCorp has three facilities across Gurgaon, Dharuhera and Hardwar. The Gurgaon unit rolls out 6,000-7,000 two-wheelers a day. The company employs around 1,200 permanent workers and 4,000 contract workers at its Gurgaon facility. The average salary of a permanent worker at Gurgaon currently is around Rs 32,000, which goes up to Rs 38,000 for more experienced employees.