Labour, supply issues halt production at Maruti Suzuki

[1]

Production at automobile giant Maruti Suzuki's Gurgaon plant came to a halt Friday due to lack of components supply following labour unrest at the company's other plants, including the Manesar facility.

"Production has been 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 on an average produces 2,800 units per day in the Gurgaon plant and 1,200 units in the Manesar facility per day.

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

The decision was taken as workers at Suzuki Powertrain India Limited (SPIL), which supplies diesel engines and transmissions to Maruti cars, has 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 the production resumes."

The situation continued to be grim at the company's Manesar plant, where workers remained on strike for the eighth consecutive day, even as the Punjab and Haryana High Court directed the workers to vacate the factory premises.

"We will not go anywhere until our legitimate demand for reinstatement of our fellow workers is met," Sonu Gujjar, one of the leaders of the striking workers, told IANS from Manesar.

"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.

The plant continues to remain captive in the hands of the striking workers.

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