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Chennai’s Automotive Hub Undergoes Labour Pains As Employees Strike Work; Setback For Firms Like Royal Enfield
The Bullet assembly line
The labour unrest in the automobile hub of Oragadam-Sriperumbudur was not caused due to wage negotiations but rather a lack of respect, according to the employees who are on an indefinite strike till they have their rights granted to them. The management of the companies involved do not want to engage with trade unions due to their political affiliations, leading to nearly 2,500 employees across different auto and auto component factories going on a strike partially or as a whole.
Employees working in automobile giants like Yamaha and Royal Enfield say that rules, like confiscating mobile phones and denying employees access to the HR for restitution along with faulty swipe machines, are some of the problems building resentment among the employees.
"The employees of Yamaha decided to form a union in July and informed the management about it along with a charter of demands, but they did not respond. We also raised a dispute in the labour department. Instead of reconciliatory talks, the management terminated two union office-bearers, and hence the strike began," recalled CITU state president A Soundararajan.
The problem appears to be a communication gap between the management and employees, according to experts. "Normally, there is a showdown when wage negotiations happen. In this case, there is no such issue. The factory HR is unable to communicate with the employees, resulting in a communication paralysis," said V Sivaram Prasad Akkineni, former chairman of Employers Federation of Southern India, as reported by TOI.
He added that the management does not have to be afraid of trade unions and that they have dealt with worse situations. "We have dealt with worse situations. It is the responsibility of the management to take workers into confidence and move forward," he said.
A spokesperson for Royal Enfield denied any mistreatment of their employees while saying that the company had lost production of 10,000 bikes between 24 and 30 September.
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