Maruti Suzuki's Manesar plant to start output from August 21

Made byIshpreet Singh Bagga

NEW DELHI: Maruti Suzuki, India's largest carmaker, will lift the lockout at its Manesar facility on August 21 and restart production on a small scale. Initially, the Manesar Plant will operate under heavy security at one-tenth its capacity, with 300 workers earmarked to roll out 150 Swift hatchback and DZire sedan on a daily basis from its two plants. Maruti had declared the lockout at the Manesar plant on July 21 after workers went on a rampage killing one official and injuring a hundred others.

The company will dismiss at least 500 permanent workers, including the 154 workers who are currently in police custody. The company said that based on the police investigation and its internal enquiries, it has identified at least 500 permanent workers who are believed to be involved in the violence and they 'will not be taken back'. Going forward during the course of investigation of the July 18 violence, the company said more workers could face the axe.

The carmaker plans to deploy 200 personnel of the Rapid Action Force personnel at its Manesar plant to avoid a repeat of the violence on the shop floor on July 18, that left senior HR executive Awanish Kumar Dev dead and 96 other supervisors and manager injured.

Around 300 more RAF drawn from Haryana Police would be further deployed around the Manesar Industrial Area. Maruti Suzuki would also create and deploy a special force of 100 security guards, including ex-serviceman, at its Manesar plant. Of these, 25 would be armed and would operate close to the core manufacturing operations.

"We will also ensure mobile security with 40 personnel security officers moving with our managers, supervisors and other workers necessary for the safe and secure operations at the Manesar plant," RC Bhargava, chairman, Maruti Suzuki, said. The company plans to absorb all the 1,869 contract workers who meet their criteria to carry out all major operations. Maruti has decided to do away with contract workers at the shop floor with immediate effect and it will start a process of screening on September 2, to regularise the existing contract workers.

Currently, the Manesar factories is manned by about 3,300 workers, 1,528 were permanent and 1,869 were on contract, the company said. "We plan to keep a 20% reserve force that would be utilised on need basis and as per the production requirement," Bhargava added. Maruti would gradually increase production to stablise it to the pre-July 18 normal level of around 1,700 cars/day. "We intend to start step by step. We need to see how the production goes, what the workers and manager take up the task. As we stablise production, we would increase the output and enhance the workforce in Manesar," Bhargava added.

Maruti is majority-owned by Japan's Suzuki Motor, which receives more than a quarter of its revenues from India. The Indian unit has lost around 75 crore in production loses each day its Manesar plant remained shut.

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