Thaindian News

Chennai, Aug 24 (IANS) With the management and workers of Comstar Automotive Technologies Pvt Ltd unrelenting from their respective stands, the workers’ strike at the company’s plant near here continued for the 14th day Wednesday.

Around 425 workers have been on strike since Aug 11 demanding recognition of their union and negotiations over a three-year wage accord that ended in March.

“We had a meeting with the management Tuesday. They said talks can happen only with workers’ representatives and not with the union leaders,” Comstar Automotive Technologies Employees’ Union general secretary D. Natarajan told IANS.

“They also wanted the strike to be called off by the workers and not by the union. We refused both the demands,” he added.

“We told the management representatives that as the union gave the strike call, only the union can call it off,” Natarajan added.

He said a conciliation meeting has been scheduled Wednesday evening at the labour department office. The management had not come for the two meetings scheduled earlier.

Comstar Automotive officials were not available for comments when contacted.

The company has around 490 permanent workers and around 350 temporary workers - trainees and apprentices, Natarajan said.

According to him, production at the factory is down to around 20 percent and that too with the involvement of apprentices and trainees.

Comstar Automotive, based in Sriperumbudur, manufactures and supplies auto components like starters and alternators for cars and light commercial vehicles.

It is a Tier-I supplier for companies like Ford Motor Company, Volvo, Tata Motors and others, according to its website.

Comstar Automotive, formerly Visteon Powertrain, was set up in 1998 to supply starters and alternators for Ford’s European operations.

It supplies over 1.1 million starter motors and one million sub-assemblies annually to original equipment manufacturers around the world and in India.