Maruti declares lockout at Manesar plant

The company said it was completely overtaken by the 'Tsunami-like' violence that it had not anticipated and announced they would not employ casual labour from next year.

"There is now a lockout. To me, what is more important is safety of my colleagues than producing some cars to make some money," Maruti Suzuki India (MSI) Chairman R C Bhargava said at a press conference here.

Asked how long the lockout will continue he said, "Maruti is not closed...We will be very inefficient if we take six months. I don't think we are that bad...We will start at Manesar ".

The company's decision follows large scale violence on Wednesday when General Manager(HR) Awanish Kumar Dev was burnt alive and about 90 officials and supervisors were injured after suspension of an employee.

However, Bhargava made it clear that the company had no plans to shift to Gujarat. "There is no possibility of moving from Manesar. We are not moving the plant from Manesar, we are not shifting from Manesar," he said.

He also denied that tough Japanese work norms could be the reason behind the violence, saying similar rules have been in vogue in the company's Gurgaon plant for nearly 30 years and there have been no complaints.

In Chandigarh, Haryana Labour and Employment Minister Shiv Charan Lal Sharma supported Maruti saying the lockout was "appropriate" keeping in view what the workers have done.

It is also learnt that state Chief Minister Bhupinder Singh Hooda would soon meet with MSI Managing Director and CEO Shinzo Nakanishi to address company