Strike enters 10th day at Maruti Manesar plant; stock falls

NEW DELHI: The country's largest car-maker Maruti Suzuki India's Manesar facility continues to be completely shut down, with a workers' strike at the plant entering its 10th day today.

At 10:03 am, shares of Maruti Suzuki were trading 1.23 per cent down at Rs 1214.65 on the Bombay Stock Exchange.
It hit a low of 1207.30 and a high of Rs 1223 in trade so far.

"The talks are going on, but the strike is still continuing. The production at the plant is stopped," a company spokesperson told PTI.

In the morning, shares of the company were trading 1.19 per cent down at Rs 1,215.15 apiece on the Bombay Stock Exchange.

Around 2,000 workers at the plant have been on strike since June 4, resulting in a loss of about Rs 390 crore for the company on account of a 7,800-unit hit in output till Saturday.

The factory had its weekly-off on Sunday. The striking workers are demanding the recognition of a new union -- Maruti Suzuki Employees Union -- formed by those working at the Manesar plant, among other things.

Cracking the whip, the company fired 11 workers last week for allegedly inciting others to go on strike.

Yesterday, however, the company said it is willing to recognise the new union -- the main demand of the workers.

The workers also said they are willing to end the stir provided all 11 of their sacked colleagues are reinstated.

Meanwhile, unions of various firms in the Gurgaon-Manesar industrial belt, who have been supporting their colleagues at the Maruti facility, will hold public meetings at the gates of 60-65 factories today to raise awareness among workers in the region about the issues at the car-maker's plant.

The All-India Trade Union Congress, which is leading the agitation along with other unions such as the Centre of Indian Trade Unions, said workers in the region will hold a two-hour tool-down strike tomorrow in support of the strike.

The Manesar plant rolls out about 1,200 units every day in two shifts.

The factory produces hatchbacks Swift and A-Star and sedans DZiRE and SX4.