Bajaj Auto strike update: Pune’s labour court adjourns hearing to July 22

Pune, July 17, 2013: The slated hearing in the Pune’s labour court today over the ongoing tussle between Bajaj Auto and the Vishwa Kalyan Kamgar Sangathana (VKKS) has been adjourned to July 22, 2013. Addressing a media gathering at the Akurdi plant in Pune for the first time ever since the workers stopped work at Chakan (June 25), managing director Rajiv Bajaj said that July 22 would be the last opportunity for the striking workers’ union to defend their cause.

According to Kailash J Zanzari, vice-president, manufacturing (motorcycles), Bajaj Auto, the labour court today was displeased with the appeals made by the striking workers. The company management, however, has put forward a four- step resolution to solve the ongoing strike issue which includes a complete refusal to allotment of shares (ESOPs) to any worker, resumption of dialogues and wages only on the condition of restoring the normal production work at the Chakan facility and review of suspension pending enquiry cases by the management (of cases with good past records who admit mistakes in writing to the company).

The management has clarified that they are open to wage revision even if the agreement with VKKS (which was terminated by the latter in March 2013) is not reinstated by the either parties but only on the grounds of restoration of normal production at Bajaj Auto’s Chakan facility. To the showcause notice received by the company earlier (on making the contracted workers who do not hold adequate license to work on the production lines), it is yet to reply to the labour commissioner. The management is currently trying to prove that the learn-and-earn apprentices are not the contracted workers hired by the company but are deployed under the state’s scheme. The management continues to hold its ground that only the permanent workers execute the core production job while other non-permanent workers are involved in material handling and other unproductive jobs at the plant.

AMIT PANDAY