Maruti Suzuki India has officially announced today that the lock-out at its Manesar plant will be lifted on August 21. The restart of production will be gradual and will be taken up in phases.
The company had declared a lock-out on July 21, following large-scale violence by workmen on July 18, in which a general manager died and 96 supervisors and managers were injured. Following an investigation, the police have arrested a number of workers, including 12 Union leaders, and started legal processes to bring the guilty to book. More arrests may follow the police investigations, which are continuing.
To enhance the security of MSIL employees, the State government is taking a number of steps. These include the setting up of a 500-strong Rapid Action Force of police personnel near the Manesar area, with 100 in each shift at the Manesar plant. There will also be 40 personal security officers to ensure safety of managers, supervisors, and workers along with security arrangements at the residences of the employees.
Furthermore, MSIL has created a special force of 100 security guards, including ex-servicemen, in addition to the existing security force, to enhance security at the plant.
On the labour front, in accordance with the declared policy to not employ contract workers provided by contractors, on the direct production line, Maruti Suzuki says it has started the process of directly hiring them. The schedule of recruitment has been communicated to all the existing contract workers through the contract agencies and recruitment would start from September 2.
The month-long lock-out has cost Maruti dearly – it has recorded accumulated losses of around Rs 2,700 crore due to non-production of its quota of 1,600-1,700 cars per day. The Manesar plant manufactures the popular Dzire and Swift models, as well as the A-star and SX4.