Five-day week for Maruti Suzuki workers from April 1

Over 11,000 workers of Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), except staff from the production division, will work for five days a week starting April 1, an official said on Monday.

The employees include those from administration, supply division, marketing and engineering sections. However, they will have to work an hour extra -- total nine hours -- during working days.

Employees from all three units of MSIL -- from Gurgaon and two Manesar plants -- will get Saturday and Sunday off from April 1.

"The decision was taken by the management after demands from the employees," a company spokesperson told IANS.

Asked why the company took the step, and was it because young employees were quitting their jobs, the spokesperson said: "MSIL has the lowest rate of such quitting. Compared to over 8 percent in other automobile industries, MSIL has just 1 percent."

As of now, Maruti workers only get Sunday as a weekly off.

However, production division workers will continue to get only Sunday as off. They will also work for eight hours -- not nine as the other employees.

"After a discussion with workers and the management, we decided that the production division will work eight hours and will not increase the working hours," workers' union leader Kuldeep Janghu told IANS.

Over 6,000 workers, including nearly 1,000 office staff, are in the production division.

Employees of the R&D division located in Haryana's Rohtak are already enjoying a five- day working schedule.

Maruti's Gurgaon plant produces nearly 5,000 vehicles a day.