Who Is Responsible for the Violence in Maruti Suzuki?

Editorial from  journal Revolutionary Democracy

After an eerie silence of almost nine months, confrontation between the workers and management once again flared up in Maruti Suzuki’s Manesar plant (near Delhi), which had witnessed a series of strikes last year. In a fresh bout of conflagration on the 19th July 2012, the workers again rose against the arbitrariness of the management, leading to a bloody clash between them, in which the General Manager (Human Resources) was killed when fire broke in one portion of the plant and as per the company’s official statement, 100 employees were seriously injured. But no one knows, neither cared to find out how many workers were hurt or injured.

According to various reports that appeared in the media, the incident occurred after a worker was abused by the shop-floor supervisor who used a derogatory casteist remark against him. Subsequently the management also suspended the same worker Jiya Lal from work. This act of the supervisor was protested by the fellow workers, and a scuttle broke between them.

The worker’s got agitated when the management deferred its decision to reinstate Jiya Lal till next day. To quell any workers demand, MSIL (Maruti Suzuki India Ltd.) has institutionalised the practise of calling in armed goons (popularly referred to as bouncers). This tactic of theirs proved very effective in derailing last years strike and preventing any worker from airing their grievance openly. So as expected the goons were called; who on their arrival immediately closed the gates of the factory premises and started physically assaulting the workers inside the plant with sharp weapons and arms. The workers retaliated in self defence and a scuffle started, which led to some people being injured and the GM, being killed when he was engulfed in the fire that had broken in one part of the premise.

The MSIL management which for past couple of years have come to symbolise the true face of ‘corporate governance’ and also representing multi national capital, came into full swing. The Manesar plant was locked out and the entire incident was portrayed as another criminal act of the workers. The company issued a communiqué blaming the workers responsible for the entire melee and terming them as vandals and murderers. [Read Full Story]

http://www.revolutionarydemocracy.org/rdv18/maruti.htm

JOIN THE JOINT PROTEST DEMO DURING THE VISIT OF OSAMU SUZUKI, CHAIRMAN & CEO, MARUTI SUZUKI CORP

The Maruti Suzuki Strike: A Report

Workers’ Unity Trade Union

 In Eighteenth Brumaire of Napoleon Bonaparte, Karl Marx, wrote, ‘All great world-historic facts and personages appear, so to speak, twice… first time as tragedy, the second time as farce’. In the struggle of workers against the management of Maruti Suzuki – India’s largest automobile manufacturing company, both tragedy and farce occurred within a span of few days. The tragedy was that the workers had to withdraw their strike without any of their concrete demands being accepted by the management, the farce being that once again as in several struggles of the past, top leadership of the workers capitulated in front of capital, with the top leaders of the union leaving the company after taking Rs. 40 lakhs in golden handshakes along with thirty other members, most of them constituting the core of the new union. According to the media reports 30 workers at Maruti’s Manesar plant, the key people who had been responsible for the strike, were paid off by the management to exit the company. The workers received a combined Rs. 4.2 to 4.8 crore, based on the amount paid to each worker.

Appeal for support and solidarity for garment workers at Unitex Exports, Chennai

Garment and Fashion Workers’ Union

(Affiliated to the New Trade Union Initiative)

Appeal for support and solidarity for garment workers at Unitex Exports, Chennai

 

This is an important juncture in the on-going struggle of the 120 workers of Unitex Exports, a garment manufacturing company in Chennai. We seek your support in the struggle against illegal closure at the company’s Ambattur, Chennai factory and for the recognition of the Garment and Fashion Worker’s Union (GAFWU) as the sole trade union and union of choice of all workers at Unitex.

 

Kazakhstan: Stop police violence against strikers

On Friday December 16th a celebration of Independence Day in the Western Kazakhstan city of Zhanaozen ended up with violent clashes between police and protesting oil workers who have been striking since May, demanding wage increases. It has been reported that oil workers planned to have a peaceful rally on Zhanaozen’s main square but were attacked. According to report we have received, armed police were sent against the demonstrators. Some reports say the police used their weapons and some protestors were killed or injured.

Please send a message to the Kazakhstan authorities calling on them to cease violence against their own people.

For Background click here

For online protest campaign click here

Turkey: Leather workers sacked for ‘occupying’ factory

Savranoglu Leather and Kampana Leather are two factories owned by same employer. Savranoglu is situated in Izmir and Kampana is situated in Istanbul. For over 6 months Deri-Is has been waging an intense struggle against the anti-union attitudes of the employer.

Urgent Appeal From POSCO PRATIRODH SANGRAM SAMITI As On 1st NOVEMBER 2011

As many comrades would be aware that on 31st January 2011, the Ministry of Environment and Forests (MoEF), Govt of India granted conditional clearance to the proposed South Korean firm POSCO ((Pohang Steel)) to set up:

1. A Captive iron ore mines: mining lease applied for in two areas and prospecting leases applied for in three areas of Keonjhar District and Sundargarh District. Mining lease on 6204 Hectares in Sundargarh District recommended to be approved by the Supreme Court

1. Steel plant: in Jagatsinghpur District, coastal area

1. Private port: at the mouth of the river Jatadhari, close to steel plant area; the MoU only makes reference to the possibility of a “minor port” being created

Greek unions call 48-hour strike October 19-20

Greece’s two main unions GSEE (the General Confederation of Greek Workers)  – ADEDY (the Civil Servants’ Confederation) have called a 48-hour general strike October 19-20 to protest government plans to pass new austerity measures including spending cuts, tax increase and state-asset sales.

The strike coincides with a vote on the austerity package on October 20, three days before a European Union summit.

The Movement for the Reorganisation of the KKE 1918-55 supports the strike and has released posters, flyers, etc. to support the struggle.

Courtesy: Anasintaxi (http://anasintaxi-en.blogspot.com/) 

Labour strike spreads to Maruti Suzuki’s other factories

According to the news published in the print media, the workers unrest has spread to other units of Maruti. Comrades from Workers’ Unity have been going to the Manesar plant and we are compiling a first hand report from the ground, based on our comrades interaction with the workers, we will be publishing the report soon and would be also uploading on this site. Any comrade who is interested may contact us at our email wutuindia@gmail.com.

Fraternally
Workers’ Unity Trade Union 

——————————————————————————————————————————————————

Workers at three factories of two different companies of Suzuki in India have gone on strike this afternoon in support of their colleagues at Maruti Suzuki India’s (MSI) Manesar plant, who are locked in a standoff with the management since August 29.

The two companies where the workers have gone on strike are — Suzuki Powertrain India Ltd and Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd. The three factories of these companies are located in the Gurgaon-Menes industrial belt.

Demand Maruti Suzuki India and Suzuki Motor Corporation to end lockout and take back all dismissed and suspended workers

Dear comrades and Friends,

As many of you may be aware that the anti-workers management of Maruti Suzuki — the subsidiary company of Japanese car maker Suzuki has again resorted to anti-workers measure.

Comrades may refer to article put up by Workers’ Unity Trade Union titled “Maruti Suzuki’s Workers on Strike, Against Management’s Dictatorial Atitude” at this blog.

It is requested that please sign the online petition against the Maruti management’s dictatorial attitude at:

http://www.petitiononline.com/MSIL298/petition.html

and show your solidarity with the struggling workers.

Please circulate this message further, to help garner wide spread international support in favour of workers.