Bajaj workers go on 'stop work' agitation

Workers at the Chakan plant of two-wheeler manufacturing giant Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) started a ‘stop work’ agitation from Tuesday. alleging harassment by the company management.

The company management, however, stated that the workers had threatened to launch a no-work agitation, demanding that they be given an option to subscribe to 500 equity shares of the company at a discounted price of Re1 per share.

There are a total of 925 workers on the roll and 1,500 on contract basis besides trainees at the Chakan plant. The stop-work agitation is led by Vishwa Kalyan Kamgar Sanghatana (VKKS).
VKKS president Dilip Pawar told dna, “Harassment by the company management on various issues forced the workers to launch a stop-work agitation. The workers will not work till their demands are met with.”

Pawar alleged that the company management was issuing unnecessary show cause notices and filing chargesheets against the workers on grounds of disobedience. He alleged that the company officials lodged complaints against the workers at various police chowkies. Alleging that the workers were being subjected to abusive language on the company premises, he claimed the VKKS has lodged a complaint with the industrial court.

An official mail sent by Bajaj Auto Ltd said, “The company received a notice from the Vishwa Kalyan Kamgar Sanghatana, workers’ union of the Chakan plant, stating that they propose to call for a stoppage of work by the workers employed at the Chakan plant from June 28, 2013. As the management had refused to concede their demand that all workmen at Bajaj Auto Ltd be given an option to subscribe to 500 equity shares of the company at a discounted price of Re1 per share.”

The workers have stopped going to the Chakan plant from Tuesday itself, without assigning any reason for this stoppage, the mail added.