Suzuki Powertrain and Suzuki Motorcycle stare at labour trouble

While Suzuki Powertrain has recently been merged with Maruti Suzuki,even Suzuki Motorcyle officials informally report to the Maruti management in India,being essentially a part of the same Japanese group.

In the first instance,Suzuki Motorcycle India Employees’ Union (SMIEU) has been protesting since February over the suspension of two workers — Avinesh Kumar and Pradeep Kumar — by the company on allegations of a violent clash with factory supervisors over personal issues. Incidentally,one of the workers is the general secretary of the union.

Industry sources said the allegations of violence may be correct in the case of Avinesh,who has a history of being given similar warnings in the past. However,he continues to enjoy full support from the union,which has now threatened to stall production.

While SMIEU had written to the Haryana labour department on the matter,Suzuki Motorcycle had later suspended union president Anil Kumar for over a month,before taking him back. A fourth worker,Rakesh,was suspended by Suzuki Motorcycle on allegations of theft. “The company has said it will not take back the three workers who have been suspended after inquiry on allegations of violence,” the first source said.

In the case of Suzuki Powertrain,after the recent elections,the new union brought back an old issue. This union,too,is pushing the company to take back three workers (Mukesh,Vivek and Sube) originally suspended in 2011 during the workers’ strike at Maruti’s Manesar plant over the registration of a union. These workers had allegedly incited others at Suzuki Powertrain to join the strike at Maruti.

“The matter is likely to stretch as the Suzuki management is adamant it will not bow down to the demands of the unions,especially after the bitter experience of the violence at the Manesar plant last year. No disruptions will be tolerated and indiscipline will be dealt with harshly,” an industry source said.