Hyundai workers in sit-in protest at new wage deal

A section of employees of the Hyundai Motors at its Sriperumbudur plant have begun a sit-in strike protesting a wage agreement they say the management is pressuring them to sign in.

Hyundai, the country's second-largest auto manufacturer, had signed a wage settlement on Thursday with a pay rise of 21-24 per cent over a three-year period.

The Hyundai Motor India Employees Union (HMIEU), which began the sit-in last night at the plant claimed that the agreement ignored an assurance given to it at a tri-partite meeting of the employees' representatives, the management and the labour commissioner on May 17.

HMIEU had earlier gone on strike from April 20 to May 7 saying the management had not recognised the Union and had dismissed 80 employees, suspended 20 workers and transferred nine employees. The strike was called off after the meeting held by the labour commissioner on May 17.

HMIEU President and CITU Tamil Nadu Committee's General Secretary A Sounderarajan said in a statement the management had agreed that it would not come to any wage revision settlement with the Workers Committee till May 20.

However, it reached a settlement with a seven-member committee on July 23 and was pressuring other employees to sign in, he alleged.

A company spokesperson said, "A section of workers are threatening to go on a strike. I don't think anything major has happened there."