Hyundai Motor India workers call off strike

The three-day strike at Hyundai Motor India Ltd's plant near here was called off Wednesday following an agreement between the company management and the striking employees union.

The two parties signed a memorandum of understanding (MOU) in the presence of Tamil Nadu's Labour Minister T.M. Anbarasan and officials from Commissionerate of Labour.

Normalcy is expected to return to the plant Thursday.

'As per the MOU a six-member review committee with two representatives from the union, company management and labour commissioner office will be constituted to consider the reinstatement of 35 dismissed employees on a case by case basis. The remaining 32 dismissed workers have to seek legal recourse,' senior vice president (finance and corporate affairs) R. Sethuraman told reporters.

Agreeing that a three-member review committee, which consisted of the state deputy labour commissioners, had made a similar recommendation this March, he said: 'That was a review committee of labour department and it is of recommendatory nature.'

'In the proposed committee apart from the labour officials, representatives of the company and the union will also be members. The recommendation of the committee will be binding,' he said.

In addition, the company at the request of Anbarasan has decided not to proceed against the 280 workers who have been remanded in custody Tuesday night at Vellore jail.

'We have also agreed to confirm the 20 workers who were reinstated on nine month probation and revoke the suspension of four workers,' he added.

Production at Hyundai Motor India came to a halt since Sunday night after workers went on sit-in strike demanding reinstatement of all the 67 dismissed workers and recognition to the union.

He said the factory has around 1,650 permanent workers, 2,000 causal labourers, 1,500 apprentices, 1,000 Hyundai trade apprentices and 1,200 technical trainees.

According to managing director and chief executive H.W. Park, the company abides by the law of the land and wants discipline at the work place.

'We have a production capacity of 600,000 units and there has to be discipline. Over the last two years we had been subjected to disruptions in our production schedules and general unrest in our manufacturing facility because of people who for their own vested interests have been misguiding a section of our employees,' Park said.