Thaindian News

Chennai, Aug 23 (IANS) The worker’s strike at the auto ancillary company Comstar Automotive Technologies Pvt Ltd entered the 13th day Tuesday, with the two parties involved in the dispute sticking to their positions.

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

“The management did not come for the conciliation meeting held Monday. The next round of talks is slated for Wednesday at the labour department office,” Comstar Automotive Technologies Employees’ Union general secretary D. Natarajan told IANS.

“Company officials had met us informally perhaps just to gauge our mood. We will call off the strike if the management starts talking to us,” Natarajan said.

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

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

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

The company 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.

Comstar Automotive officials were not available for comments when contacted.