India: Thousands of workers in automobile industry face severe injuries including loss of hands & fingers due to poor safety mechanisms; incl. co. comment
Summary
Date Reported: 4 Aug 2023
Location: India
Companies
Maruti Suzuki (part of Suzuki) - BuyerOther
Not Reported ( Auto parts ) - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: 1
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 1 - India , Manufacturing: General , Gender not reported )Issues
Occupational Health & Safety , Injuries , Access to Non-Judicial RemedyResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Al Jazeera
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: A Maruti Suzuki spokesperson told Al Jazeera that it takes all the necessary steps to safeguard its workers and disagrees with the claims made by SII. “At Maruti Suzuki safety is no compromise, even the minute safety incident or a near miss case is taken up with utmost seriousness,” it said, adding that it pushes its top suppliers, those who directly supply it parts, to spread safe systems and practices with their subcontractors. In one such drive for subcontractors in Delhi and neighbouring areas more than 4,360 press machines and over 1,980 molding machines were upgraded with safety features, the company said.
Source type: News outlet
Summary
Date Reported: 4 Sep 2023
Location: India
Other
Not Reported ( Manufacturing: General ) - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: 1
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 1 - India , Manufacturing: General , Gender not reported )Issues
Occupational Health & Safety , Injuries , Reasonable Working Hours & Leisure TimeResponse
Response sought: No
Source type: News outlet
Summary
Date Reported: 4 Aug 2023
Location: India
Companies
Maruti Suzuki (part of Suzuki) - BuyerOther
Not Reported ( Auto parts ) - EmployerAffected
Total individuals affected: 1
Migrant & immigrant workers: ( 1 - India , Manufacturing: General , Gender not reported )Issues
Occupational Health & Safety , Injuries , Access to Non-Judicial Remedy , Denial of leaveResponse
Response sought: Yes, by Al Jazeera
External link to response: (Find out more)
Action taken: A Maruti Suzuki spokesperson told Al Jazeera that it takes all the necessary steps to safeguard its workers and disagrees with the claims made by SII. “At Maruti Suzuki safety is no compromise, even the minute safety incident or a near miss case is taken up with utmost seriousness,” it said, adding that it pushes its top suppliers, those who directly supply it parts, to spread safe systems and practices with their subcontractors. In one such drive for subcontractors in Delhi and neighbouring areas more than 4,360 press machines and over 1,980 molding machines were upgraded with safety features, the company said.
Source type: News outlet
"Fingers ‘turned to powder’: the maimed workers of India’s auto hub", 4 August 2023
...[A]pproximately 80,000 workers are employed in different automobile units of Hero MotoCorp, Maruti Suzuki, Yamaha, and other global companies.
[...]
“Crushed”, a report published by Safe in India Foundation (SII) revealed that, on average, 20 workers lose their hands and/or fingers daily while working in automobile factories spread in the Manesar and Gurgaon areas. Around 65 percent of injured workers are under the age of 30.
[...]
These factories employ raw or unskilled workers, pay below minimum wages and make them work longer hours. They are completely unregulated and as a result rarely report any accidents... Another important factor is that most of the workers are migrant workers who don’t have a support network and are more vulnerable to exploitation.
[...]
The suffering increases as they don’t get any compensation.
[...]
A Maruti Suzuki spokesperson told Al Jazeera that it takes all the necessary steps to safeguard its workers...“At Maruti Suzuki safety is no compromise, even the minute safety incident or a near miss case is taken up with utmost seriousness”.