Thaindian News

New Delhi/Gurgaon, Oct 14 (IANS) Workers at Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant, who occupied the plant last few days, Friday came out of the premises as Haryana started evicting them while production at the automobile giant’s other plant in Gurgaon came to a halt for want of components amid labour unrest.

The workers came out of the manesar plant’s gate number 3, shouting slogans, while a large contingent of police stood around.

Earlier, Sonu Gujjar, one of the leaders of the workers who occupied the plant and went on a tool-down strike, told IANS that the administration had started to pressure them by cutting power and water supply inside the plant.

According to Gujjar, police had earlier stopped workers from taking food inside the plant.

Terming the situation on the eighth consecutive day of the strike as “very tense”, he said they were on a peaceful “tools-down” and asserted they would remain until evicted by force.

Officials of the local administration met the workers and asked them to comply with the Punjab and Haryana High Court directive to vacate the factory premises.

Gujjar, however, said: “We will not go anywhere until our legitimate demand for reinstatement of our fellow workers is met.”

“Administration is here, we are here and we are discussing the issue, but our demands are non-negotiable,” Gujjar said.

Workers at the Manesar plant went on strike on Oct 7 demanding the reinstatement of 44 suspended co-workers, who were not taken back after an earlier 33-day impasse with the management ended Oct 1.

Meanwhile, production at Maruti Suzuki’s Gurgaon plant was stopped due to lack of components supply following labour unrest at the company’s component plant.

“Production has stopped at the Gurgaon plant due to lack of component supply. Production at Manesar plant and component supply units remained closed due to the strike,” a senior company official told IANS.

According to the official, the company produces 2,800 units per day on an average in the Gurgaon plant and 1,200 units in the Manesar facility.

The company suspended production at the Gurgaon plant for two days and said it would review the situation Sunday.

The decision was taken as workers at Suzuki Powertrain India Limited (SPIL), which supplies diesel engines and transmissions to Maruti cars, halted production to express solidarity with the striking workers at Maruti’s Manesar plant.

Though models like M-800, Omni, Eeco and Gypsy are not dependent on component supplies from SPIL, the spokesperson said: “Operating the plant only for these models will be unviable. The production loss for these models can be recovered once production resumes.”

The trouble could not have come at a worse time for the company. This is the festive season, which typically generates huge demand — crucial for the automobile giant that has been witnessing sluggish sales in recent months.

The company’s scrip at the Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) closed at Rs.1,028.45, down 2.65 percent from previous day’s close of Rs.1,056.40.