Mahindra & Mahindra Limited, the country’s leading utility vehicle manufacturer, is facing labour troubles as the indefinite hunger strike by two senior leaders entered the fifth day on May 5, 2013. However, no impact on the production has been reported at the company’s Nashik-based manufacturing facility. The senior union leaders sitting on the hunger strike are Pravin Shinde and Amol Sonwane.
Expressing his views on the hunger strike, Pravin Shinde, General Secretary, Mahindra’s Nashik plant employees union, was quoted as saying, “We will continue to fast till the management signs the long pending wage agreement with us.” As per reports, differences had crept up between the employees union and the Mahindra senior management over wage agreement.
Amol Sonwane, Union Vice President, and Pravin Shinde have been on an indefinite hunger strike since May 1, 2013, in front of the Dy. Labour Commissioner’s office. The union is demanding that the Mahindra senior management must renew wage agreement that expired in February this year.
Speaking on the situation, a Mahindra & Mahindra official was quoted as saying, “The matter (of wage agreement) is being discussed with the deputy labour commissioner. As far as the hunger strike is concerned, it is an issue of some individuals and not the union. The business at the plant is as usual.”
Further, the Nashik plant’s employee union is asking for an inflation-linked wage revision and restricting wage agreement period to 3 years. At present, this wage agreement period is by default valid for 3 years and 6 months.
Mahindra & Mahindra’s Nashik-based production facility boasts of strength of around 4,000 workers. The company manufactures its popular products like Xylo, Quanto, Bolero and Scorpio from this facility, which has an output yield of 550 units per day from three shifts.
