Manesar labour issue a political matter, says Maruti chairman

The country’s largest car maker, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, (MSIL) on Thursday said it would not compromise on its established norms for industrial relations to resolve the ongoing labour unrest at its second facility in Manesar.

Chairman R C Bhargava said, “My understanding is that the labour issue at Manesar is essentially a political problem as there has been no clear charter of demands from the workers. We are in constant dialogue with them, however, we do not want to compromise on good governance practices or principles.” Since it is a political problem, its resolution will be based on Maruti's established principles for industrial relations, he added.

Bhargava was speaking at the company's 30th annual general meeting.

Production has been severely affected at MSIL’s first plant in Manesar since August 29 when the management prevented workers from entering the unit without signing a 'good conduct bond' after alleged 'sabotage' and deliberate quality compromise on cars.

During the first two days of the stand-off, MSIL dismissed five permanent workers. It also suspended 26 permanent workers and discontinued the services of another 18 trainees. The plant has about 2,500 workers, of which 950 are regular employees.

On an average, the company produces 1,200 units of its Swift, A-Star and SX4 cars every day from the Manesar plant. The company has rolled out 925 units from the unit so far this week.