Labour dispute at Bajaj Auto ends

Dilip Pawar, president of the Bajaj Auto labour union, Vishwa Kalyan Kamgaar Sanghatana (VKKS), on Friday withdrew his indefinite hunger strike after the company agreed to extend the wage hike given to the workers at Chakan to the staff of Akurdi plant.

Pawar’s hunger strike had entered the fifth day on Friday.

KJ Zanzari, VP, motorcycle, Bajaj Auto, said the dispute was resolved and the company would give the similar hike it had given at the Chakan plant to Akurdi workers as well. This was one of the reasons for Pawar to go on a hunger strike from January 29.

Regarding the transfer of six workers, Zanzari said these workers would be reporting at the Aurangabad plant where they would be taken in as fresh joinees.

The fate of the eight workers terminated in 2013 will be decided by the industrial court where their case is currently going on.

The assistant labour commissioner of Pune had held a meeting of representatives of both the management and the union at the Chakan plant to resolve the dispute.

Another meeting took place at the company between the union and the management on Friday, following which they reached a settlement.

There were some changes in the company allowances for regular attendance and higher medical coverage for major injuries to workers, and these were some of the concessions made by the management. An MoU was signed on Friday and a formal agreement will be signed later. This agreement will be valid till March 31, 2019, and is part of the nine-year wage settlement signed in 2010.

The Chakan plant has around 1,000 worker affiliated to the VKS, while the Akurdi plant has 100 workers. The company also had terminated the wage rise agreement of nine years signed for the period 2010 to 2019 at the Akurdi plant and the 100 workers here were denied a wage hike.

Bajaj Auto Limited