Unruly incidents at Toyota Kirloskar unit

Unruly incidents at Toyota Kirloskar unit

The Hindu

Employees are on strike protesting against the dismissal of three workers

BANGALORE: Unruly incidents were witnessed during the strike by employees of Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) at Bidadi Industrial area in Bangalore Rural district on Friday and Saturday.

The police said the protesting employees allegedly smashed the close-circuit television cameras at the factory and also hurled stones at some passing vehicles. The agitation continued on Saturday.

Presspersons who went to cover the agitation on Saturday were assaulted.

However, R. Ravi, Joint Secretary of the employees' union, said the attackers were not members of the union.

Security has been heightened at the unit in view of the strike.

According to S.R. Deepak, General Secretary, TKM Employees' Union, the employees are on strike protesting the "illegal" dismissal of three workers. The management had violated the Section 33 of the Industrial Disputes Act, Mr. Deepak said in a press release on Saturday.

The management had placed under suspension 15 union leaders, pending enquiry. Even as the matter was before the Industrial Tribunal, three of the 15 employees had been dismissed, he said.

About 1,500 employees of the unit would continue the strike until the management fulfilled their demands, Mr. Deepak said.

Meanwhile, TKM said it had reinstated one employee and dismissed three who had been found guilty of certain acts of serious misconduct, including assault on supervisors, after holding an enquiry by "competent and independent authority in accordance with the principles of natural justice."

In a press release, the TKM management said some employees had opposed the findings of the independent enquiries and resorted to stoppage of work without prior notice of 14 days as per the Industrial Disputes Act 1947 and struck work illegally. They also prevented other employees forcibly from attend work.

Meanwhile, the Labour Department had initiated conciliation proceedings.

There were 2,378 people on the rolls of TKM, of which 1,550 were union-affiliated workers, the release said.