Karnataka bans Worker Strike at Toyota Bidadi Plant, directs manufacturer to uplift Lockout
Yesterday, Karnataka government has banned strike by workers of Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) at its Bidadi plant and directed the company to lift the lockout for resuming production soon.
Speaking to media, Karnataka Deputy Chief Minister C.N. Ashwath Narayan said, “I have directed the Toyota workers’ union to withdraw its strike and told the company management to lift the week-long lockout declared on November 10 to resume production soon,”
As the workers union and company management were in a deadlock over the strike and the lockout following the suspension of 40 workers, Deputy Chief Minister held talks with them at the state secretariat in the city in the presence of state Labour Minister Shivaram Hebbar and the state labour commissioner.
“A notification is issued on Wednesday under section 10 (3) of the Industrial Disputes Act to ban the strike by the workers and to lift the lockout that was imposed to prevent any damage to the factory,” asserted Narayan.
The lockout was declared after 1,200 workers resorted to a sit-in strike in the plant at Bidadi in protest against the suspension of their union member.
As the strike continued, the company declared lockout and suspended 39 more workers on November 13 for refusing to withdraw their ‘illegal’ agitation.
Highlighting the labour and investment-friendly climate in the state, he questioned both the management and the unions as to what message are we sending with strike and lockdown?
The Deputy Chief Minister said, the whole world was looking at India as an alternative to China, and countries like Japan, South Korea and Taiwan were eager to set shop in Karnataka, and in such a situation talks like strike and lockdown should not come.
