End in sight for agitation at Cummins India

A week after workers at Cummins India Limited (CIL) began their agitation against suspension of their Union committee members,the stalemate between company management and Kirloskar Cummins Employees’ Union seems to have been partially solved with the intervention of labour commissioner.

According to Dinesh Castellino,vice-president (legal and company secretary),the commissioner has asked the company to allow union committee members and other workers to join work. The commissioner refuted the workers’ demands about reinstating the six employees who were suspended two years ago. The 11 union committee members and workers have been asked to join work. The company had issued suspension orders against these members for resorting to violence in the company. “While we are ready to allow the workers and union committee members to join work,we are firm about our demand of an undertaking stating that the workers will maintain a secure work environment in the company premises,” said Castellino. The union committee members,however,were not reachable for comment. The Union had visited the labour commissioner on Thursday and requested him to intervene in the matter. A meeting with the labour commissioner was scheduled on Tuesday. At least 500 workers of Cummins India Limited had held a massive demonstration at the company’s Kothrud headquarters on Tuesday morning after the management issued suspension notice to 11 office bearers of the Union. The Union members resorted to violence in canteen in which a senior HR manager was injured and needed to be hospitalised.