"Manesar: No Breakthrough in Talks, Protest Continues at JNS Instruments", 5 April 2022

Workers at an automobile parts manufacturing unit in Haryana’s IMT Manesar, that saw several of its employees being taken into custody earlier last month reportedly for ‘rioting’, are continuing their protest pressing for the reinstatement of suspended workers, as latest talks between the management and the union have failed to make any headway.

Hundreds of workers, most of them women, of JNS Instruments Limited in Sector 3 of IMT Manesar have been agitating since March 3, on their long pending demands that include, above all, formation of a union and regularisation of  contractual workforce.

On March 29, over 130 workers, including 76 women, of the automotive company were arrested – later released on bail – by the Gurugram police on charges of rioting, wrongful restraint, disobedience to public servant orders and criminal intimidation, according to a report by The Hindu.

During the two-day general strike, called by the 10 Central Trade Unions (March 28-29), the workers sat at the entrance of the company and brought production to a halt...

The latest round of talks...between the management and a union delegation led by All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), in the presence of labour official, however, failed to produce any breakthrough, Anil Panwar, district general secretary, AITUC, told Newsclick over the phone...

Out of its total workforce, only about 30-40 workers are permanent; the rest are on contractual basis, Newsclick has learnt.

Rinki, who has been among the permanent workers leading the agitation, told Newsclick...that the demand for a union and regularisation of contract workers was being raised for many years now...

Nine women workers, who have been at the forefront of these protests, were transferred by the company to its Bhiwadi plant in November last year, triggering more discontent among workers, who eventually resorted to strike work and demonstrate near the company gate since March this year.

Rinki is one among the terminated workers...

“On Tuesday (March 29), we brought production to a halt to press the management to engage in talks with us, which they did that day,” she said. The management, however, refused to reinstate the suspended permanent workers who have been on strike and agreed to take back contract workers, “only in batches,” she added...

Anant Vats of Automobile Industry Contract Workers Union (AICWU) told Newsclick on Tuesday that the company had transferred the workers to prevent the formation of a union...

Centre of Indian Trade Union’s (CITU) general secretary Tapan Sen has also sought withdrawal of all criminal cases against the workers...

Meanwhile, denying allegations regarding poor service conditions, the JNS management has said that they were not against unionisation. “… We have not opposed the workers’ decision to form a union or to stage protests, which is their right,” a spokesperson of JNS was quoted as saying by The Indian Express. According to the report, the spokesperson also said that the company had transferred nine women permanent workers to Bhiwadi after promotion and had given them salary hikes for training purposes.