NEW DELHI: Japanese two-wheeler maker Honda has announced suspending operations in its Manesar plant indefinitely following allegations of misconduct by workers, who are on strike for about a week after the company decided to send 650 workers on leave.
The company hadn’t specified when it would restart operations. Plant head Saibal Maitra in a letter wrote that stakeholders would be informed about a resumption of operations once the condition in the plant becomes normal.
Workers protesting outside the plant accused the management of inhumane treatment. A group of protestors sitting outside the plant said that workers protesting inside the facility are given no food and are denied access to toilets. “I have given over 10 years to the company. For the past four years, I have been getting a meagre salary of Rs 14,000. Last week, without any notice, I was told to go,” said a worker.
The protesting workers are demanding that those retrenched be either called back to work or paid a compensation of Rs 1 lakh for each year of service. A meeting between the management and stakeholders was held on Monday with no results. Union representatives and management are expected to hold a meeting on Tuesday to draw a conclusion. Queries sent to the company on the issue remained unanswered.
The workers’ strike comes at a time when India’s automotive industry, especially the two-wheeler industry, is facing one of its worst slowdowns ever. The prolong slowdown has already left lakhs of contractual worker unemployed across the value chain. Two-wheeler sales during April-October period were down by 16 per cent to 11.45 million units, as per data shared by the Society of Indian Automobile Manufacturers.
Honda’s volumes dip
Honda’s volumes have nosedived so much so that it recently cut down its profits and global sales forecast because of weak business in the country