Ahmedabad: After exactly one month, the striking workers of Tata Nano plant at Sanand in Gujarat on Tuesday called off their strike and decided to resume duty from Wednesday.
The decision was taken after a marathon meeting between the workers’s representatives, top management of Tata Motors and the Labour Department officials today.
Tata Motors stated that it will revoke the suspension of 13 out of 26 workers and will take decision about the rest following completion of enquiries being conducted by the company.
Decision regarding another two suspended workers will be taken after they reply to the company’s second show cause notice, it stated.
“Workmen will call off the strike and resume duty from 23 March and restore normalcy and operate as per productivity, quality, discipline and safety requirements of the plant,” the company stated.
“Tata Motors, without setting a precedence, will revoke suspension of 13 of the workmen while continuing their enquiry. Suspension pending enquiry of rest of 13 workmen will continue till the decision is taken on completion of enquiries,” it further said.
Company said the enquiries initiated regarding all 26 workers will be completed within the “reasonable time line” of 4-6 months, following which the workers’ union will submit “a reasonable charter of demand”.
Workers’ representatives said the strike has been settled with the management of the company after 8-hour long meeting.
“The company has agreed to recognise the union and begin negotiations on wages and charter of demands that will be given to them by the workers in the next 4-6 months. At the same time, the company will pay 75 per cent of wages of the 13 workers who will remain suspended until enquiry is completed.
Also, the company has agreed that no action will be taken on strike,” said Ashwin Roy, an adviser to the workers and vice president of New Trade Union Initiative which supported the strike.
He said that decision on legality of suspension and wages for the period of the strike will be taken by the court. Tata Motors had moved Ahmedabad Sessions Court for injunction on the strike after the state Labour Department declared the strike illegal.
As many as 422 workers had gone on strike from February 22 mainly to protest suspension of their colleagues.
The matter escalated when the company earlier suspended two workers for indiscipline and another 24 after workers allegedly damaged new vehicles inside the plant.
PTI