Section 144 imposed at Maruti Manesar plant after violence

Within a week after the ghastly violence at the Manesar plant of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd (MSIL) last Wednesday, Gurgaon's district magistrate P.C. Meena imposed Section 144 under the Code of Criminal Procedure around the factory and adjoining areas on Tuesday. The order bars assembly of five or more persons within two km from the boundaries of IMT Manesar. The order also prohibits carrying of weapons like firearms, swords, spears, sickles, knives or cycle chains.

The decision came after workers of Honda Motorcycles and some other factories were planning to stage their annual demonstration outside the Manesar plant as a show of solidarity with MSIL workers.

Workers in Manesar march annually on July 25 to mark their protest against the police baton charge on Honda workers on this day in 2005. On Saturday, MSIL had declared its first-ever lockout at the Manesar plant citing security concerns following the brutal violence, in which a general manager was killed and 100 others were injured.

While this is the first time that a lockout has been declared by a company management, plants in Gurgaon and Manesar have been forced to shut down indefinitely due to indefinite strikes by workers.

In March, more than 5,000 labourers demonstrated on roads in three separate instances of mass agitation for more than 10 days. In one such incident, workers assaulted their vice-president while a godown was set ablaze during another agitation. In the third incident, company buildings were damaged and police vehicles torched.

Every such incident sparks a new debate with factory owners, union leaders, the labour department, the police and the Haryana State Industrial and Infrastructure Development Corporation (HSIIDC) indulging in blame game. Factory owners allege that HSIIDC has reduced itself from an industry promoter to a real estate dealer, and accuse union leaders of inciting uneducated labourers. In turn, HSIIDC allege that factories are going out of control and need to be reined in.

Union leaders claim that things will be fine if the labour department addresses workers' grievances and does not "collude" with industry leaders to suppress workers. The labour department accuses union leaders of mobilising workers for their political gains claiming that the recent incidents of unrest have occurred on the 'spur of the moment'.

While companies started investing way back in Gurgaon way back in 1985, when Maruti established its plant, the rate of industrial growth has accelerated only in the last ten years. The population of the city has nearly doubled in the last ten years from around 8 lakh to 15 lakh now. The educated and affluent now find themselves face to face with the migrant workers, who have come to Gurgaon for a livelihood.

Courtesy: Mail Today