Hyundai workers union awaits labour dept intervention

A CITU-affiliated workers union in the Hyundai Motor India plant at Sriperumbudur near here, which has given call for a strike on December 5, today said it was awaiting "conciliatory" efforts by the labour department.

"We have to wait and see what is going to happen. We have informed them (the management)and now the labour department will call us for reconciliation," CITU State General Secretary A Soundarajan told PTI.

When asked if their strike call would not amount to a breach of the MOU signed with the Hyundai management last July, he said, "at that time they told us that they would reinstate 80 dismissed employees. But they have reinstated only 20."

He said the remaining dismissed 60 employees should be reinstated and their trade union comprising 1,200 workers should be "recognised".

Recently, Hyundai Motor India had said it had received a faxed communication dated November 19 from the unrecognised union stating that they will resort to direct action from December 5.

"If such an action is resorted to, then it will disrupt production resulting in loss of revenues and will act as a deterrent to industrial peace and harmony in Tamil Nadu," it had said.

The company, however, had said the strike threat by the unrecognised union is a breach of the agreement signed in July with the workers committee, ratified by a majority of the employees.