Industrial court terms Mahindra labour strike illegal

Auto major Mahindra & Mahindra (M&M) today said an industrial court has declared the 10-day old tool down strike by its employees at the Nashik plant as illegal and unjustified, and has asked the agitators to report to work within 48 hours.

Quoting the Nashik Industrial Court order on Wednesday, M&M said: "It is declared that the respondents, working in the complainant-company have resorted, commenced illegal and unjustified strike.

"The respondent-union workers are hereby directed to withdraw said strike within 48 hours from said declaration. They are advised to report for their work in their respective shifts at the earliest."

Workers at the Nashik plant had gone on a tool down strike on May 4 following the suspension of their Union President Madhav Dhatrak.

M&M had said Dhatrak was suspended for threatening the Chief Security Officer for discharging his duties.

Faced with the strike at the facility, which makes about 500 vehicles daily, M&M was believed to be considering shifting production to other sites.

M&M's Nashik plant manufactures its flagship SUV Scorpio, Bolero, Xylo and Mahindra Renault's sedan Logan, and has an annual production capacity of 1.5 lakh units.