More workers joined the hunger strike by Toyota Kirloskar Motor Employees Union on Thursday as the protest entered its second day.
The impasse, however, showed no sign of ending. A total of 24 members participated in the indefinite hunger strike that began with 10 union members on Wednesday outside the Japanese carmaker’s two plants at Bidadi near Bangalore, according to Satish R, general secretary of the union. The employees are demanding action from the Karnataka government on their complaints against the company and also pressing the management to allow them to join work unconditionally.
?Our aim is to press the government to stop the illegal activities the company is ?doing,? said Satish. The union is alleging that Toyota is violating rules by using contract workers and apprentices to run its plants. The company has denied the allegations, saying it was running limited operations with the aid of non-uni-onised workers, of whom a majority were supervisors and engineers.
Meanwhile, Assocham urged all stakeholders to withdraw the strike and settle the matter amicably ?The automobile sector, already reeling under difficult times, will suffer a further set-back due to the strike,” said a statement from Assocham.
