Maruti rubs it in, sacks 500 workers
17 Aug 2012 6:18 AM IST
In a development that can further worsen the management-worker situation in Maruti Suzuki at its Manesar plant, the company has decided to sack 500 workers who it said were involved in the violence that led to the closure of the plant. The company also announced that it will reopen the Manesar plant on 21 August. These developments were announced on Thursday, a day after the main accused in the violence Jiyalal was arrested and sent to five days in custody.
The company chairperson R C Bhargav said, 'About 500 Maruti workers have been sacked who were involved in the violence as per the police investigation.'
After receiving the notice of sacking workers from the company, the Maruti Suzuki Trade Union has decided to hold a protest march on Friday. The union general secretary Kuldeep Janghu said, 'On Friday, about 15,000 workers will take out a rally from the Gaushala Ground to the Mini Secretariat [in Gurgaon], demanding that the workers be reinstated.' The central unions CITU, AITUC, INTUC and AIUTUC have extended support to the protest march.
Meanwhile, an unperturbed Bhargav is keen to go ahead with starting the production process at the plant. Addressing the media, he said, 'We intend to start the plant step by step. The 96 people who were injured in the violence have been discharged from various hospitals. They will also re-join the company from 21 August.' He added that the Haryana Police had given him assurance that nothing would go wrong again. He said that about 500 police personnel would be deployed inside the plant premises.
The Manesar plant, which has two production lines, assembling about 1,200 cars a day, was shut down following the 18 July violence. Maruti declared a lockout at the plant on 21 July. The violence had started after Jiyalal was suspended for slapping a supervisor Ram Kishore, who had made caste remarks on Jiyalal. Later thousands of workers gathered to protest against Jiyalal's suspension, which turned violent. In the violence, the general manager (HR) Awnish Kumar Dev was killed and about 96 people were critically injured.
The company chairperson R C Bhargav said, 'About 500 Maruti workers have been sacked who were involved in the violence as per the police investigation.'
After receiving the notice of sacking workers from the company, the Maruti Suzuki Trade Union has decided to hold a protest march on Friday. The union general secretary Kuldeep Janghu said, 'On Friday, about 15,000 workers will take out a rally from the Gaushala Ground to the Mini Secretariat [in Gurgaon], demanding that the workers be reinstated.' The central unions CITU, AITUC, INTUC and AIUTUC have extended support to the protest march.
Meanwhile, an unperturbed Bhargav is keen to go ahead with starting the production process at the plant. Addressing the media, he said, 'We intend to start the plant step by step. The 96 people who were injured in the violence have been discharged from various hospitals. They will also re-join the company from 21 August.' He added that the Haryana Police had given him assurance that nothing would go wrong again. He said that about 500 police personnel would be deployed inside the plant premises.
The Manesar plant, which has two production lines, assembling about 1,200 cars a day, was shut down following the 18 July violence. Maruti declared a lockout at the plant on 21 July. The violence had started after Jiyalal was suspended for slapping a supervisor Ram Kishore, who had made caste remarks on Jiyalal. Later thousands of workers gathered to protest against Jiyalal's suspension, which turned violent. In the violence, the general manager (HR) Awnish Kumar Dev was killed and about 96 people were critically injured.
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