Maruti's Gurgaon trade union leaders joined central trade unions in a protest march against the move and demanded revocation of the decision, which was announced by company chairman R C Bhargava on Thursday. Most of the union leaders contacted by TOI condemned the decision. Kuldeep Jhangu, the general secretary of Maruti Udyog Kamgar Union (MUKU), termed the management's decision to fire 500 of the 1,500-odd permanent workers at Manesar as "wrong" and said the step should be revoked.
"They should take back all the workers and stop arresting them. The way they are acting, it seems that a majority of the workforce at Manesar has been made guilty even when investigations have not been completed. We will oppose it," Jhangu said. However, he did not specify whether he would give a strike call at the Gurgaon plant over the management's decision.
All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), which is active in the Gurgaon-Manesar belt, said the industrial atmosphere in the region will worsen if the decision is not reversed. "We condemn the Maruti management's decision to dismiss as many as 500 permanent workers. It is against rule of law and amounts to victimization of labour," AITUC national secretary D L Sachdev said.
Demanding a CBI probe into the incident, Sachdev warned that trade unions will be forced to call a tools-down in the area if the workers are not taken back. "This will be the last resort in case they do not respond."
Edited By Cen Fox Post Team
