Workers of Bajaj Auto’s Akurdi plant got a R10,000 hike in their wages after their union, the Vishwakalyan Kamgar Sanghatana (VKS), signed a wage agreement with the company on Monday. This has renewed hope for achieving a wage settlement at the Chakan plant soon, Dilip Pawar, president of the union said.
At present, there is no production on at the Akurdi plant and workers are used for non-production work at the Bajaj Auto R&D centre and the tool room located here.
The Akurdi plant has only 130 workers and the larger chunk of workers are at the Chakan plant. But after this agreement, the union is positive about the prospects of the Chakan unit to reach their wage agreement.
Negotiations are on at the Chakan plant after workers ended their 50-day strike and resumed work in August 2013.
The VKS has threatened to go on an indefinite hunger strike from February 16 after suspension of the some of the workers. The Chakan plant has 1,000 permanent workers who are part of the VKS union.
The Chakan plant also has another 1,000 workers at Chakan who are either on contract or under training and apprentice schemes.
Meanwhile, the company on Tuesday reported that its sales declined by 14.36% to 1,67,869 units from 1,96,023 in the same month last year.
