IMT Manesar, Gurgaon, Haryana/ 30.09.2024
Today Maruti Manesar plant workers, who have been continuing their struggle for justice since 2012 and have started their dharna at Manesar Tehsil since 18 September 2024 demanding their jobs back, organized a ‘Mazdoor Sabha’ at the dharna site to intensify their struggle. Nearly 300 terminated workers from different parts of Haryana and other districts along with their family members took part in the protest program.
Different workers organizations and unions from Delhi-NCR and Haryana joined the struggling Maruti workers in solidarity. Com. Khushiram and Com. Satish conducted the meeting on behalf of the Maruti Suzuki Struggle Committee, the workers’ committee leading the present struggle for reinstatement and justice. Com. Katar Singh detailed the events of the ongoing struggle on behalf of the Struggle Committee. Com. Amit Nain, who spent 5 years in jail after the 2012 incident, spoke about the struggle. Com. Manmohan from Daikin union and Com. Ajit from Belsonica union expressed solidarity with the struggling Maruti workers. Com. Satyaveer Singh from Krantikari Mazdoor Morcha Faridabad, Com Vimal from TUCI, Com. Siddhant from IFTU Sarwahara, Com. Raju from IMK, Com. Subhashini from Mazdoor Sahyog Kendra, Com. Subhasish from Shramik Sangram Committee, Com. Mandira from PSYA, Com. Naresh from Mazdoor Samachar, Com. Saurya from Collective and others addressed the workers.
From Maruti workers’ family members, Parvesh and Renu addressed the meeting. Representatives from Mazdoor Adhikar Sangharsh Abhiyan (MASA), AICWU, AIUTUC also joined the meeting. Com. Aditya and Com. Rohtas from Krantikari Naujawan Sabha (KNS), Com. Gaurav from PSYA and student comrades from JNU performed revolutionary songs at the protest site.
The speakers detailed the relentless struggle of Maruti workers since 2011, the importance of the present struggle and the ongoing dharna at Manesar amidst Haryana election and ongoing settlement process between the three unions of Maruti Suzuki and the company management, and the challenges and the tasks ahead.
After militant struggle by permanent-contract-trainee workers and 3 successive strikes in 2011, two of which culminated in factory occupation by the workers, the management was forced to recognize the workers union. The newly formed union demanded abolition of the contract system inside the plant, as the first demand in their Charter of Demands. Then a conspiracy by the management to destroy the union resulted in a clash between management-hired goons and the workers inside Maruti Manesar plant on 18 July 2018, resulting in an unfortunate death of an HR manager due to asphyxiation as the plant caught fire. The then chairman of Maruti Suzuki, R C Bhargava, described the incident as an act of ‘class war’. Unprecedented repression from the state machinery, police-administration-judiciary, and the company management.
More than 2500 workers, including 546 permanent workers, were thrown out of the job without any enquiry. 147 workers were jailed. Production ran under police presence. Struggling workers were portrayed by the management, ruling parties and big media as ‘murderers’ and ‘criminals.
However the struggle of Maruti workers amidst these odds was historic, and it inspired workers across India and beyond and got support from across the country. The struggling Maruti workers reinstated the union inside the plant in 2014, fought the criminal and labour cases in courts and continued their struggle demanding jobs, dropping of false criminal cases and justice.
The Special Investigation Team constituted by Haryana government and the trial process in Sessions Court could not find any evidence against the overwhelming majority of the terminated workers (419 among 546 permanent workers) and 117 jailed workers were released after five years in jail due to lack of any kind of evidence against them. Others were given punishments of different degrees, and 13 worker leaders, including 12 union representatives, were given life imprisonment based on the fabricated accusations provided by the management in 2017. Protests erupted in dozens of factories in Manesar, in different parts of India and in different countries against this punishment and criminalization of the working-class movement.
Terminated Maruti workers, with the help from the union in the plant, were successful to get all prisoned comrades released in bail by 2022, and then intensified their struggle to get the jobs back, held series of protest meetings and rallies in Gurgaon and started indefinite dharna in Manesar from 18 September 2024.
The present struggle of Maruti Manesar workers have forced the labour department and the government to open a dialogue and call tripartite meetings. Today at Chandigarh, the Labour Commissioner convened such a meeting which remained inconclusive due to the stubborn attitude of Maruti management. From the protest site today, the workers have declared to intensify their protests in the coming days and to start hunger strike from 10 October 2024. The struggle will go on till justice is done!
Press Release
Maruti Suzuki Struggle Committee (Maruti Suzuki Workers Union)
