Judge NS Kole of the Pune Labour Court, who is hearing the dispute between Bajaj Auto and the Vishwa Kalyan Kamgar Sanghatana, the recognised Bajaj Auto workers? union, on Monday advised the two parties to explore conciliation and resolve issues across the table.
Judge Kole suggested they set aside complicated issuess and focus on issues related to wage hike and the termination of the 9-year wage agreement by the union.
The court has set July 16 as the next date for hearing as the union sought additional time to appoint a lawyer. Bajaj Auto has filed a petition in the Pune Labour Court to term the ?ongoing strike? at the Chakan plant illegal. Dilip Pawar, president, VKKS, and RY Joshi, counsel for Bajaj Auto, were both present in court. The judge said that while he would deliver a judgment in his own wisdom and the judgment could be subject to challenge in a higher court. Counsel Joshi said that the company officials were ready for talks but the union was not being responsible by refusing to negotiate.
Meanwhile, Bajaj Auto said it has ramped up production and is now able to meet 80% of its requirements. KJ Zanzari, vice-president, manufacturing (motorcycles), Bajaj Auto, said “The company is producing 2,400 vehicles, including the Pulsar, Avenger and KTM, against day to day requirement of 3,000 vehicles”. In the next one week, the company would further improve production at the Waluj plant from 800 Pulsars per day to 1,000 Pulsars a day. We expect more people to come to work, he said. Around 600 people reported to work on Monday at the Chakan plant.
Bajaj Auto workers are now mobilising support among other workers in the Pune region. Workers from 100 odd companies have threatened to go on indefinite stoppage of work from Thursday, July 11 to express their solidarity with the workers of Bajaj Auto Limited’s Chakan plant.
Representatives of 120 company unions gathered at a meeting held in Pune on Sunday, near Chakan in support of the Bajaj workers. According to Pawar, president of the union, it was decided that all the unions would be sending notices of indefinite work stoppage, from Thursday. They would also hold a demonstration outside the office of the Additional Labour Commissioner in Pune if they do not intervene in the matter by Wednesday.
