Suzuki staff mob burnt GM(HR) to death, attacks were pre-planned, says management
Manesar, Gurgaon, July 19: Maruti Suzuki India Ltd management today said the attacks on their managers on Wednesday at the Manesar plant were not the result of labour unrest, but were pre-planned deadly attacks.The person
India TV News Desk
July 19, 2012 20:45 IST
Manesar, Gurgaon, July 19: Maruti Suzuki India Ltd management today said the attacks on their managers on Wednesday at the Manesar plant were not the result of labour unrest, but were pre-planned deadly attacks.
The person who was burnt to death in Wednesday's violence has been identified as Awanish Kumar Dev, General Manager (HR) of Manesar Plant, a press release said.
Suzuki management said Awanish was an outstanding professional and compassionate, soft spoken and deeply committed to cordial industrial relations.
"We are still assessing the total damage to property and facilities from the acts of arson.
"What is clear is that the office facilities have been burnt beyond repair, as have the main gate, security office and the fire safety section.
"Both our plants in the Manesar campus were, of course, closed on Thursday.
"We will shortly announce our decision on the next steps with regard to resuming operations in these facilities. We request our customers and partners to bear with us in this extraordinary situation", the press release said.
The top management team visited the injured executives in the hospitals in Gurgaon where they are admitted.
" Their experiences are shocking. A few of our colleagues remain serious. While the rest are recovering from the physical injuries, it will take them a while to come out of the trauma. The injured include two Japanese expatriates, including the plant manager of the Manesar Plant", the press release said.
Describing the sequence of events, the management press relese said, the workers' union was demanding reinstatement of a worker who had been suspended for beating up a supervisor.
"While negotiations were on with the senior management, the first act of violence by the mob was to forcibly shut the main gate and prevent managers from leaving the premises after working hours.
"Thereafter, armed with iron rods and door beams of cars, the mob spread out in groups in the factory area and targeted supervisors, managers and executives.
"In simultaneous attacks in different parts of the factory, the mob beat the managers on their head, legs and back, rendering many of their victims bleeding and unconscious.
" They also ransacked offices, broke glass panes and wantonly damaged property. Finally, they set the offices on fire.
"After being terrorized, abused and attacked in this manner by the mob, recovery for the injured will not be easy", says the press release.
"By any account, this is not an “industrial relations” problem in the nature of management-worker differences over issues of wages or working conditions.
"Rather, it is an orchestrated act of mob violence at a time when operations had been normal over the past many months.
"Such acts of violence -pre planned, unprovoked and gruesome -have implications beyond one company or region. They are negative trigger for existing companies and regions across the country, as also for prospective investors and job seekers", the press release said, sounding a note of caution.
Ninetyone employees of Manesar plant were today sent by a Gurgaon court to 14 days judicial custody, while eight others were released.
Maruti Suzuki Workers Union (MSWU) refuted the company's allegations and said instead of taking action against the supervisor who was involved in a scuffle with a shop floor worker “the management immediately suspended the worker concerned without any investigation”.
“When the workers along with union representatives went to meet HR to demand against the supervisor and revoke the unjust suspension of the worker, the HR officials flatly refused to hear our arguments, and it was in no mood to resolve the issue amicably,” MSWU President Ram Meher said in a statement.
He alleged that when negotiations were going on with the leaders of the union inside the office, “the management called in entry of hundreds of bouncers on its payroll to attack the workers”.
“This is completely an illegal vindictive action in the spirit of conspiracy to corner us into submission even as our demand and methods are legitimate,” Meher said.
He said workers were attacked with sharp weapons and arms by the bouncers, who were joined by “some of the managerial staff and police later” and “beat up a number of workers who have had to be hospitalised with serious injuries”.
The bouncers, who are anti-social elements on hire, also destroyed company property and set fire to a portion of the factory, Meher added.
Stressing that the union had workers and company's welfare in mind, he said it was keen on dialogue with the company management and Haryana government to “amicably resolve the matter and restore industrial peace in the factory”.
The person who was burnt to death in Wednesday's violence has been identified as Awanish Kumar Dev, General Manager (HR) of Manesar Plant, a press release said.
Suzuki management said Awanish was an outstanding professional and compassionate, soft spoken and deeply committed to cordial industrial relations.
"We are still assessing the total damage to property and facilities from the acts of arson.
"What is clear is that the office facilities have been burnt beyond repair, as have the main gate, security office and the fire safety section.
"Both our plants in the Manesar campus were, of course, closed on Thursday.
"We will shortly announce our decision on the next steps with regard to resuming operations in these facilities. We request our customers and partners to bear with us in this extraordinary situation", the press release said.
The top management team visited the injured executives in the hospitals in Gurgaon where they are admitted.
" Their experiences are shocking. A few of our colleagues remain serious. While the rest are recovering from the physical injuries, it will take them a while to come out of the trauma. The injured include two Japanese expatriates, including the plant manager of the Manesar Plant", the press release said.
Describing the sequence of events, the management press relese said, the workers' union was demanding reinstatement of a worker who had been suspended for beating up a supervisor.
"While negotiations were on with the senior management, the first act of violence by the mob was to forcibly shut the main gate and prevent managers from leaving the premises after working hours.
"Thereafter, armed with iron rods and door beams of cars, the mob spread out in groups in the factory area and targeted supervisors, managers and executives.
"In simultaneous attacks in different parts of the factory, the mob beat the managers on their head, legs and back, rendering many of their victims bleeding and unconscious.
" They also ransacked offices, broke glass panes and wantonly damaged property. Finally, they set the offices on fire.
"After being terrorized, abused and attacked in this manner by the mob, recovery for the injured will not be easy", says the press release.
"By any account, this is not an “industrial relations” problem in the nature of management-worker differences over issues of wages or working conditions.
"Rather, it is an orchestrated act of mob violence at a time when operations had been normal over the past many months.
"Such acts of violence -pre planned, unprovoked and gruesome -have implications beyond one company or region. They are negative trigger for existing companies and regions across the country, as also for prospective investors and job seekers", the press release said, sounding a note of caution.
Ninetyone employees of Manesar plant were today sent by a Gurgaon court to 14 days judicial custody, while eight others were released.
Maruti Suzuki Workers Union (MSWU) refuted the company's allegations and said instead of taking action against the supervisor who was involved in a scuffle with a shop floor worker “the management immediately suspended the worker concerned without any investigation”.
“When the workers along with union representatives went to meet HR to demand against the supervisor and revoke the unjust suspension of the worker, the HR officials flatly refused to hear our arguments, and it was in no mood to resolve the issue amicably,” MSWU President Ram Meher said in a statement.
He alleged that when negotiations were going on with the leaders of the union inside the office, “the management called in entry of hundreds of bouncers on its payroll to attack the workers”.
“This is completely an illegal vindictive action in the spirit of conspiracy to corner us into submission even as our demand and methods are legitimate,” Meher said.
He said workers were attacked with sharp weapons and arms by the bouncers, who were joined by “some of the managerial staff and police later” and “beat up a number of workers who have had to be hospitalised with serious injuries”.
The bouncers, who are anti-social elements on hire, also destroyed company property and set fire to a portion of the factory, Meher added.
Stressing that the union had workers and company's welfare in mind, he said it was keen on dialogue with the company management and Haryana government to “amicably resolve the matter and restore industrial peace in the factory”.