Toyota Kirloskar, employees union negotiations fail

Matter will be referred to the Karnataka labour secretary

 

Conciliation talks between Toyota Kirloskar Motor and the employees' union before the deputy labour commissioner here on Tuesday failed to reach an agreement. The matter will be referred to the labour secretary, government of Karnataka, sources said.

The company had been insisting the workers sign a good-conduct undertaking before returning to work after it withdrew the lockout (when an employer refuses to allow workers in) on March 24. The Toyota Kirloskar Motor Employees Union (TKMEU) demanded the withdrawal of suspension of 30 workers and lifting of the lockout unconditionally.

The labour secretary is expected to take up the matter after the April 17 voting for the general elections.

R Satish, general secretary, TKMEU, told Business Standard, "We told the deputy labour commissioner we were ready to consider signing an undertaking if the company withdrew the suspension."

Company officials were unavailable for comments.

The TKMEU members continued their relay hunger strike before the factory gates at Bidadi, 35 km from here. Every day, 100 go on hunger strike.

The trouble started in February when 4,500 grade-eight workers went on a go-slow to press for demands including a wage revision for 2013-14. The company declared a lockout from March 16 and called it off on March 24, with the condition that the employees sign a good-conduct undertaking.

Since March 24, the company is seeing limited production of passenger vehicles at two of its Bidadi plants. As against the capacity of 700 a day, the company is making 300-350, with supervisors, contract workers and apprentices.

The supply of cars to dealerships has come down drastically and the waiting period for vehicles has gone up to two months. It has also led to delay in launching Etios Cross and the upgraded version of Corolla Altis.