New Delhi: Maruti Suzuki, India's top carmaker, has halted production at one of its plants in northern Haryana state due to a renewed labour strike, a spokesman said on Friday.
The stir was supported by workers in different factories belonging to various companies at the Gurgaon-Manesar industrial belt, including Suzuki Powertrain India Ltd, Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd and Satyam Auto.
"A sit-in protest by workers has started inside the Manesar plant around 4 pm this afternoon," an MSI official said.
There are an estimated 2,000 workers inside the factory. This includes about 700 regular workers.
The company, however, claimed around 170 of regular workers are not taking part in the strike and left the plant after duty.
Workers are demanding that the casual labourers of the Manesar plant, who have been kept out by the management after signing a deal to end a 33-day long stand-off with permanent workers, be taken back.
In support of the casual labourers, who are on a protest in front of the Manesar plant, workers at factories of different companies also went on strike.
"It is unfair not to take back the casual workers while the permanent workers have been allowed to resume duties," Suzuki Motorcycle India Employees Union President Anil Kumar said.
Last month, workers at Suzuki Powertrain India Ltd and Suzuki Motorcycle India Pvt Ltd had gone on two-day strike in support of MSI's Manesar plant workers during the standoff.
"This time we are not going to back off till the Maruti management fully implements what they have promised," Kumar said, adding production at the plant of the two-wheeler maker has come to a halt since late afternoon on Friday.
Similarly, a worker at Suzuki Powertrain India Ltd, which supplies diesel engines to MSI, said production at the company's Manesar plant has stopped since the second shift.
Around 400 workers at Satyam Auto also went on strike, showing solidarity with the casual workers of MSI's Manesar facility.
Workers also claimed similar strikes occurred at factories such as Hilux Autoelectric and Endurance during the day. While officials of these companies could not be reached for comments, Hilux Autoelectric Chairman Surinder S Khanuja denied any such development.
When contacted, Honda Motorcycle & Scooter India Employees Union President Suresh Gaur said: "We have not gone for the strike yet. We are waiting for the authorities to take initiative to resolve the issue.
The fresh strikes comes just days after Maruti said a month-long strike at the Manesar plant that cost the company about $135 million in lost output ended, after workers agreed to sign discipline agreements.
Maruti is 54.2 per cent owned by Japan's Suzuki Motor.
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