Bosch workers' strike declared illegal by government, management

BANGALORE: The Karnataka government has prohibited the 25-day-old indefinite strike by the workers of Bosch Limited's plant here with immediate effect, the company said today while asking them to report to work.

"In a setback to the Union, the state government of Karnataka vide its Order prohibits the strike with immediate effect," the company said. "The company urges its Union to call off the indefinite illegal strike, report to work and restore normalcy."

The Order has been issued as per section 10(1) sub clause [c]/[d] and section 10(3) of the Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, Bosch said.

Prior to this declaration, the Labour Commissioner and Additional Labour Commissioner had convened multiple conciliatory meetings between company management and union members, with special interventions of several senior government officials and senior ministers, Bosch said.

"Given the unwillingness and lack of consensus among various factions of the Union, unfortunately, these proceedings did not result in a mutually agreeably resolution," it said.

Bosch said their current offer on the wage negotiation to the Union is also one of the best among comparable industries.

However, Mico Employees Association President S Prasanna Kumar told PTI that the government's order to prohibit their strike is illegal because it has not exhausted the legal procedure under the Industrial Disputes Act.

"The government's order is illegal, unfair and favouring the company management. It is illegal because it has not exhausted the legal procedure," he said.