Maruti workers violating agreement: Haryana govt

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Haryana Labour and Employment Minister Shiv Charan Lal Sharma on Saturday accused the striking workers at Maruti Suzuki's Manesar plant of violating the agreement signed with company management that led to end of over a month-long standoff last week.

"Workers are moving away from the pact signed with Maruti Suzuki management as a result of which the standoff ended," Sharma told PTI on Saturday.

On October 1, the workers at the plant agreed to sign an agreement with the management that led to the end of the standoff that began on August 29.

As per the agreement, MSI agreed to conditionally take back 18 trainees who were suspended.

However, it refused to take back 44 regular employees against whom disciplinary action was taken and who remain under suspension.

The workers, in turn, had agreed to sign the 'good conduct bond', which required them to declare that they would "not resort to go slow, intermittent stoppage of work, stay-in-strike, work-to-rule, sabotage or otherwise indulge in any activity, which would hamper the normal production in the factory".

Sharma rued that workers were again refusing to work and said it was unjustified when the matter was resolved after signing the agreement.

Asked about employees' demand of taking back casual workers, he said that casual workers would be absorbed as soon as work operations at the plant normalise.

"The work at Manesar plant has been hit due to month long strike and the management will be taking back casual employees as soon as production gets expanded," he said.

A team of Haryana Labour department on Friday met workers at the Manesar plant and assured them that the remaining casual labourers would be absorbed by October 14 in a phased manner.

Workers at the Manesar plant went on a strike yesterday afternoon demanding that their colleagues, who are on contract and left out in the pact that last week ended the 33-day-long stand-off, be taken back.

They are also demanding that the 44 permanent workers who have been suspended should also be taken back and no action should be taken against them.

The stir was supported by workers in different factories belonging to various companies at the Gurgaon-Manesar industrial belt, including Suzuki Powertrain India Ltd, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd and Satyam Auto.