Maruti sacks 25 more workers, tension intensifies

Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) today sacked 25 more workers at its Manesar plant, even as labourers on strike there continued to occupy the premises defying an order of the Punjab and Haryana High Court, despite the police threatening to forcibly evict them.

"Twenty five more workers have been dismissed today. These include three trainees," a company official said.

On October 9, the company had dismissed 10 workers and five trainees, while another 10 were suspended. Already 44 workers of the plant are on the list of suspension.

Nearly 2,000 striking workers continued to occupy the Manesar plant, while the main plant of the firm at Gurgaon also remained shut.

Tensions intensified at the plant as the police said it might have to evict workers forcibly.

"We have repeatedly asked the striking workers to vacate the factory premises. We are awaiting their response but we are not ruling out evicting them forcibly," Gurgaon Police Commissioner SS Deswal said.

He said the police had already cut water and food supplies to the workers who are inside the plant.

In the afternoon, the police entered the factory premises asking the workers to vacate.

While the striking workers claimed about 1,500 police personnel had entered the plant, Deswal said: "We have sufficient number of personnel."

In a related development, the union of Suzuki Powertrain India Ltd (SPIL) claimed that 18 workers have been sacked by the company.

"The management has not informed us individually but has pasted an order on the notice board saying 18 of us are terminated," Suzuki Powertrain India Employees Union (SPIEU) President Sube Singh Yadav said.