Chennai, July 25 (Inditop.com) Talks between the striking workers and management of Hyundai Motor India ended in a stalemate Saturday as the shutdown at two plants of the car factory entered the third day.
Police forces were deployed near the plants of India’s second largest car manufacturer after the talks between company officials and the workers’ union failed.
“Even as we are participating in the talks with the management representatives and the labour department, the company management switched off the power at the plant. The workers were sitting in the dark when more police reinforcements were mobilised,” K. Thangapandian, vice president of the Hyundai Motor India Employees Union (HMIEU), told IANS.
The power supply was resumed later.
The workers have been on a sit-in strike since Thursday evening against a wage agreement signed between the management and the Workers’ Committee.
Union leaders say the Workers’ Committee, set up by the management, does not represent the employees and the agreement signed with this committee is against a directive of the labour commissioner.
“The management has violated the directive given by the labour commissioner that no wage agreement should be entered with the Worker’s Committee,” Thangapandian said.
“At the conciliation meeting the company officials maintained a standard line – that they have to consult the top management,” A. Soundararajan, honorary president of the HMIEU and general secretary of the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), told IANS.
“On Sunday workers will go on hunger strike.”
Rejecting workers’ allegations, Hyundai’s corporate communications head Rajiv Mitra told IANS earlier that the labour commissioner had not given any order regarding signing the agreement with the Workers’ Committee. “It is just an advisory.”
HMIEU president A. Edison Periera said: “Our two major demands are taking back around 80 dismissed workers and the granting recognition to the union.”
Hyundai Motor managing director H.S. Lheem told reporters earlier in the day that normalcy would return at the plant by Monday.
