Automobile sector comes to a halt

Sumedha Sharma

Tribune News Service

Gurgaon, September 2

As thousands of workers went on strike as part of rhe nationwide agitation against “anti-labour” policies of the Centre, the Gurgaon-Manesar-Bawal automobile sector came to a halt. The strike took its toll on production in more than 1,500 small, medium and large-scale automobile factories in Udyog Vihar, Gurgaon; Industrial Model Township (IMT), Manesar; IMT, Binola; IMT, Dharuhera; and IMT, Bawal.

Among the industries affected were Maruti Suzuki, Honda, Hero MotoCorp, Munjal Kiriu, ASTI Electronics, Baxter, Bajaj Motos, Autofit, Premium Moulding and Bellsonica. The production in all four plants of Maruti Suzuki — Maruti Suzuki, Manesar; Maruti Suzuki, Gurgaon; Suzuki Motorcycles; and Suzuki Powertrain — was hit. The production loss in the automobile sector was pegged at several hundred crores of rupees.

“The government sold us lucrative dreams before elections. Now, it is benefitting capitalists who are becoming richer by the day while majority of the workers do not even get minimum wages. The automobile sector in Gurgaon and Manesar is flourishing, but workers are being continuously harassed,” said Kuldeep Jhanghu, general secretary, Maruti Udyog Kamgaar Union. He claimed the strike was a success as workers of 80 per cent automobile factories participated in it. The workers staged demonstration, demanding enhanced minimum wages, equal pay for equal work and an end wage disparity between regular and contractual staff.