We had reported earlier about the strike at Bajaj’s Chakan plant where the workers are on strike. Their demand includes equity shares worth as much as Rs 10 lakh. The union, with the name Vishwa Kalyan Kamgar Sanghatana demands 500 shares for all workers at a price of Rs 1 per share. What that effectively means is that the workers are demanding that each one of them be given stock worth Rs 9 lakh for just Rs 500.
Bajaj has released an official statement about their stand on the strike today. Company MD Rajiv Bajaj has released a statement extending the deadline for the striking workforce to 16th August. If the striking workers don’t return to work, the company will shift its production from Chakan to its other plants at Pantnagar and Aurangabad. Here’s a copy of the official statement.
Mumbai, August 13, 2013: Over the last week there have been several rounds of discussion between representatives of the union and the management, in an effort by both sides to resolve the strike at Chakan.
The management had fixed Monday 12th August 2013 as the deadline to do so, failing which it would have to consider the permanent transfer of 50% of Chakan production to its other Plants at Aurangabad and Pantnagar.
That deadline expired yesterday without a satisfactory result being achieved.
However, the COO Mr. PradeepShrivastava has informed me that both sides are hopeful of arriving at a mutually acceptable solution in the next two days, and he has therefore requested me to accordingly extend the deadline.
Consequently the final deadline will now be Friday 16th August 2013, after which the management can and will take all such steps as it deems necessary to protect its future business interests.
Finally, I once again appeal to all my workmen at Chakan not to suffer any further on account of what are entirely irrational demands, but to instead rejoin their duties at the earliest, for which purpose my colleagues have made the necessary arrangements to ensure their safety and convenience.
Rajiv Bajaj
MD, Bajaj Auto Ltd., Pune
13th August 2013