Maruti Suzuki India Limited (MSIL), country’s largest car maker, has finally lifted the lockout from its Manesar plant to commence operations partially on August 21, 2012. However, it will do so in the presence of a troop of policemen and private security guards. Chief Operating Officer, Administration, MSIL, S.Y. Siddiqui, said, “We are reopening the plant with 300 workers. We will operate just a single shift from 8 am to 4.30 pm.”
For now, the company has planned to produce only 150 units everyday, which is a fraction of what it used to produce normally in the range of 1,500-1,700 units. The car maker hopes to gain the complete production capacity with the passage of time, which stands at around 5.5 lacs units every year.
According to the car maker, the company has made sure that there are no stones unturned regarding the security measures being installed at the plant. For this purpose, Maruti Suzuki has hired Former National Security Guards commandos and over 50 armed guards from local Holistic Security. This security agency happens to be a VIP security and crisis management specialist. MSIL has also notched-up the technology used at the plant by installing close circuit cameras in the entire premises for better surveillance.
The Haryana state government too has been working in the favour of the car maker and has deployed a special group of policemen and paramilitary soldiers at the plant. On this, Joint Commissioner of Police, Gurgaon, Anil Rao, said, “Our security system is in place. We have one battalion of the Indian Reserve Police headed by a senior superintendent in and around the plant, besides police control room vans and traffic policemen.”
To further reinforce the security, the auto major has decided to sack around 500 permanent workers off its pay roll, who were supposedly behind the riot that lead to the lockout. Additionally, firing of 500 contract workers is also on the cards of the company. This will significantly bring down the workforce at Manesar plant from the earlier 3,300 strong employee base, comprising 1,528 permanent workers. To make-up for the fired workers, the company has decided to conduct a recruitment programme from early September 2012 in order to hire permanent employees; however it will also consider the contract workers as well.
On the other hand, the decision of removing regular workers has faced serious rebuttal from the national trade unions like All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU). These unions have decided to organise a meeting on August 21, 2012 to think upon organising a protest rally in New Delhi against the car maker’s decision. Folioing the trend, the politically backed MSIL's in-house Maruti Udyog Kamgar Union at Gurgaon plant too has protested against the Maruti Suzuki’s move.
