Around 300 workers at Tata Motor's plant here have gone on flash strike to press for reinstatement of around 20 of their colleagues who have been suspended for serious misconduct.
The Sanand plant, which has an annual production capacity of 2 lakh units, currently rolls out compact hatchback Nano.
The auto maker will also roll out its upcoming small car Tiago, earlier named as Zica, from the same plant.
When contacted, a Tata Motors spokesperson said, "Around 300 workmen of Tata Motors, Sanand plant, have gone on an illegal flash sit-in strike on February 22 demanding re-instatement of the workmen suspended (pending enquiry) for serious misconduct."
"While the management team is continuing to make efforts to talk to the workmen on strike and convince them to restore normalcy, plant operations are simultaneously continuing," the spokesperson said.
The company said that there had been continued agitations for monetary increases as well as protests against disciplinary actions against those instigating the workmen, resulting in serious threat to company personnel as well as losses due to tampering.
"Viewed as attempts to coerce the management, around 20 workmen have been suspended on various charges of serious misconduct," the spokesperson said.
The company said it will not tolerate any indiscipline and coercive methods to "pressurise for unreasonable demands".
Labour issues at the Sanand facility have surfaced at a time when a lockout continues at one of its subsidiaries -- Tata Marcopolo Motors plant in Dharwad, Karnataka, following strike by workmen over wage negotiations.
The Tata Marcopolo plant in Dharwad employs over 2,500 people and has the capacity to manufacture over 15,000 buses per annum.
The plant rolls out fully-built buses for intra-city and inter-city transportation, including 16 to 54-seater standard buses and 18 to 45-seater luxury and low-floor city buses.
Tata Motors shares today ended at Rs 318.45 apiece on the BSE, down 0.11 per cent from previous close.
When asked if Tata Motors would consider phasing out some
of the older models as part of the new product strategy, Pareek said: "Naturally, it's very natural concept for example already we have phased out Vista and Manza and it's like new comes and old goes."
Market would determine which model goes and which stays, he added.
He said the company has also re-crafted its design philosophy and its teams based out from Pune, Coventry (UK), and Turin (Italy) have collaborated on the design aspects, which is international in nature.
"We did lot of internal thinking and came out with a concept of impact design. To us impact design is something which creates an impact on first sight," Pareek said.
Besides, the company is also trying to optimise its organisational structure in order to speed up introduction of new products.
"One of things for us in the past was that we delayed in launches. It's what we are trying to correct," Pareek said.
The company's all around efforts have started to yield results.
"We used to be around seventh in overall sales. In the first half of this fiscal we are now on fifth position, a little bit extra and we would have been on number four. This is a good sign for us. We have just begun, we have road to travel, distance to cover," Pareek said.
He said the company is also working to improve the way its dealer network functions to breakaway from the baggage of past.
"You can't just wish it away. You correct the situation by performing. We are working overtime on improving quality of products," Pareek said.
