Bosch Adugodi plant workers launch indefinite strike

Workers at German auto component major Bosch Ltd's Adugodi plant here have gone on an indefinite strike from today demanding resolution of issues pending for the past 22 months.
"We have gone on strike from 6 AM today - first shift, as our charter of demands is pending before the management for the past 22 months has not been positively met by the management," Mico Employees Association President S Prasanna Kumar told PTI.
He claimed the management planned to cut down some medical benefits and demanded productivity "which cannot logically happen to the level of their expectation."
"In spite of the union asking for some negotiable formula, now they are trying to impose it on the employees without having any discussions with us and they have threatened wage cut if it is not met," Kumar said.

While the company did not comment on the claims of the workers, Bosch Ltd in a filing to the BSE today described the demands of the workers as "unreasonable".
"Strike will be considered as illegal," it said.

The management is in discussion with the Union to restore normalcy at the earliest with the intervention of the Additional Labour Commissioner, Karnataka, it added.
Kumar, further claimed "there was harassment like employees are being penalised by not being allowed to work if one comes late to work by few minutes".
The company has 2,575 permanent workers, 700 temporary workers and 1,000 contract workers, Kumar said.

The management has also started issuing transfer orders to employees to shift to Bidadi plant near Bangalore without even discussing facilities like transport that should be provided, he said.
He said that for not meeting their demands, a statutory notice was issued to the management regarding the strike on Sept 6, and "in spite of it, they have not come up with anything so we have gone on indefinite strike.