Strike halts work at 2 MRF units

As they did last year, workers at two units of leading tyre maker MRF, at Arakkonam (70 km from here) and Puducherry, went on strike today, halting production.

The staff unions said this was in response to not recognising their union and the jailing of two of their colleagues (in Puducherry).

MRF has six factories in all, including a third one in Tamil Nadu (at Tiruvottiyur, a suburb of this city). The other three are in other states.

Company officials were not available for comment. Union sources said 800 confirmed employees were on a sit-in strike inside the Arakkonam factory, which normally produces 45,000 tyres every day on a three-shift basis. The MRF United Workers Union, which claims a majority of the workers at this factory are supporting them, was seeking management recognition. The unit supplies equipment to Honda Motorcyle, Scooter India, Bajaj Auto and Maruti Suzuki, among others.

The union at Puducherry is also demanding recognition and reinstatement of dismissed workers, allegedly laid off since they became union members. They added two of their colleagues was sent to jail yesterday, on false charges.

Around the middle of last year, strikes at both these factories lost the company around Rs 1,000 crore in production. The demand was recognition of the same union and related wage negotiations.