Workers at Maruti, Hero, Suzuki to go on strike tomorrow

Production at leading automobile companies in the Gurgaon-Manesar belt, including Maruti Suzuki, Hero MotoCorp and Suzuki Motorcycle India, will be hit tomorrow as workers have decided to stay away from work in support of the two-day strike called by central trade unions than began today.

"We had a meeting with representatives of different unions in the region and we have agreed to go on a one-day strike tomorrow in support of the Central Unions. There will not be any production tomorrow both at Maruti's Gurgaon and Manesar plants," General Secretary of Maruti Udyog Kamgar Union (MUKU), Kuldeep Jhangu, told PTI.

Similarly, Hero MotoCorp Workers Union (HMCWU) president, Kanwalpreet Singh, said, the workers at the company's Gurgoan factory will be on a "one day strike" on February 21.

Incidentally, the workers at the plant have been negotiating unsuccessfully with the management for over six months for a three-year wage settlement.

Supporting the all-India strike called by 11 trade unions, Suzuki Motorcycle India Employee Union president, Anil Kumar, said: "As many as 27 workers unions of different factories in the Gurgaon, Manesar, Dharuhera and up to Bawal have agreed to go on strike for a day. So, there will be no production at our plant tomorrow."

Mr Kumar claimed unions of other components makers, including Satyam Auto and Rico Auto are also participating on the one-day strike.

The central trade unions have put forward a charter of 10 demands such as urgent steps to control price rise, strict enforcement of labour laws in all places of work, social security net for workers in the unorganised sector, end to disinvestment in PSUs and raising minimum wage to Rs 10,000 a month.