There was a huge rally organised at the Nehru Park in Gurgaon on 17 October 2011 to support the workers of Maruti-Suzuki. Workers from the Gurgaon and Manesar industrial belts expressed their anger at the anti-worker policies of the Central and State governments.
There was a huge rally organised at the Nehru Park in Gurgaon on 17 October 2011 to support the workers of Maruti-Suzuki. Workers from the Gurgaon and Manesar industrial belts expressed their anger at the anti-worker policies of the Central and State governments.
Workers going to wards the rally, raised slogans 'Down with the anti-worker policies of the Central and State governments!' They held aloft red flags raised in their hands.
The Gudgaon-Sohna road, adjoining the Nehru Park, was jam packed with workers. The various unions of the workers already present at Nehru Park welcomed the arriving workers with slogans of 'Long live the unity of workers!". The workers assembling in the park in their work uniforms looked like disciplined soldiers. Soon the park was filled with ten thousand workers.
The hatred of the workers against the domestic and foreign capitalists could be easily seen in the slogans that were being raised in the rally.
It is well known that the workers of Maruti-Suzuki have been going through a protracted struggle for their demand to have their own union. Four months ago there was a strike from June 13 to press for the main demand of the workers to form their union. There was an agreement with the management at that time and the worker joined back work. Soon after, that the management tried hard to break the unity of the workers. When they did not succeed in breaking the unity of the workers, the management falsely implicated the union leadership and started dismissing them.
The management declared a lock-out on 29th August.
There was another agreement signed on 30th September. The workers resumed work. However, they were harassed inside the plant. The permanent workers were not allowed to do their regular work and were assigned other work.
On 7th October, the Maruti-Suzuki management refused to take back the 1600 casual workers as earlier agreed. In fact, the management got bouncers to attack these workers.
When the permanent workers who were working inside got to know this, they went on a strike inside the plant itself. When this news reached the unions at Maruti-Suzuki Castings, Suzuki Powertrain and Suzuki Scooter and Motorcycle plants, they also struck work inside their own plants. This brought the work at Maruti-Suzuki plant to a grinding halt.
On 15th October, the Maruti-Suzuki management got the High court at Chandigarh to issue an order for the workers to vacate the plant. Manesar was transformed into a cantonment of police and CRPF personnel. Now the workers assembled at their respective factory gates.
After the meeting in Nehru Park, the workers took out a huge procession to the District Commissioner's residence. The delegation of the joint trade unions submitted a petition to the District Commissioner. They demanded the State government to intervene in the dispute with the management.
Participating in the rally were – Mazdoor Ekta Committee. AITUC, CITU, HMS, INTUC, Sarva Karmachari Sangh, Honda Employees Union, Hero-Honda Employees Union, Maruti-Suzuki Casting Plant Union, Suzuki Powertrain Employees Union, Suzuki Scooter and Bike Employees Union, Omaxe Employees Union, Satyam Component Employees Union, Indorance Employees Union, Munjal Shova Employees Union, Employees Union, etc.
The struggle that is being waged today in Manesar, has great implications for both the working class as well as the capitalist class. The entire capitalist class and their Central and State governments are carefully observing the struggle. They are trying their utmost to suppress the struggle of the workers so that it does not become an inspiration for future struggles of the workers to overthrow the capitalist class. The struggle of the Maruti-Suzuki workers is the struggle of the entire working class of the country for their rights. It is the call of the times that capitalists and their governments are defeated in this struggle. The workers of our country will emerge victorious when the Maruti-Suzuki workers win their struggle.