Hindustan Motors suspends work at Uttarpara

[khanak]

Just when you thought that things couldnt get any worse for HM

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Hindustan Motors Ltd. said on Wednesday that it has suspended work at its Uttarpara factory in the Hooghly district of West Bengal due to disruptive activities being pursued by a select group of workers.

The law & order situation at Uttarpara continues to be disconcerting, Hindustan Motors said in a statement. A small group of workers are able to harass 2100 plus employees reporting for duty and prevent an additional 1000 plus willing employees from joining duty, it added.
Complete blockade of ingress and egress of material continues, Hindustan Motors said. As a result the management was constrained to declare suspension of work, the company said.
The company is hopeful that the competent authorities will intervene in restoring law and order in and around the plant, in accordance with the High Court's order, Hindustan Motors.
Workers affiliated to the Sangrami Shramik Yukta Manch have been holding demonstrations since March 13, seeking regularisation of salary and resumption of payment of Dearness Allowance which had remained frozen since 2001.
The agitating workers are also demanding that 242 'badli' workers be made permanent and suspension of several workers be withdrawn unconditionally
Hindustan Motors' Uttarpara plant in the Hooghly district of West Bengal is the country's oldest automobile factory. The company manufactures the Ambassador cars at this unit, which has been making losses due to dwindling sales.

[rahul_intlad]

I have great respect for the ambassador car but unfortunately its time is over[atleast in its present form].Hindustan motors cannot expect better times ahead unless they have a radical transformation.Unless this happens HM would just end up as a supplier to tata,chevrolet.

Just wonder if mitsubishi should break the alliance and go for the indian market on its own or find some other partner.

[iraghava]

Sorry to hear aout this but I guess it's a by product of being located in the home state of Indian Communists & their Trade Unions.

As for Mitsubishi if they break their partnership with HM well they will atleast be as well off as with the partnership in place. The only way they can do worse is tie up with a partner like PAL (ala Fiat!!)

[nickatnite]

For ONCE, i am truly grateful to the miltants/naxals or whatever you call them who are supposedly behind the Uttarpara plant disruption, as i understand from media reports.Thanks to them i pray fervently that the ugly lump of steel with wheels that has blotted the face of Indian roads for many a decade will be finally put to rest!.RIP Ambassador!

[ggkg]

Originally Posted by nickatnite

For ONCE, i am truly grateful to the miltants/naxals or whatever you call them who are supposedly behind the Uttarpara plant disruption, as i understand from media reports.Thanks to them i pray fervently that the ugly lump of steel with wheels that has blotted the face of Indian roads for many a decade will be finally put to rest!.RIP Ambassador!

Dont ask for too much..it seems the problem is between CPI and CPM unions with CPM now in its new pro-business avatar trying to stop the strike!

What can happen is the workers ask their union bosses to recommend WB govt. to take over the factory, turn out more of scrap steel and now demand that GOI force every car buyer to buy it by tax or otherwise..

[Mpower]

I dont think it will be missed except in Kerala and WB, only 2 places where people buy Ambassadors.

[theMAG]

A CNBC coverage showed the last month's Ambassador production at Uttarapara was 292, against an expected 1600. I dont expect this strike to permanently seal the Amby's fate - after all there are the management at this plant who've habitualized taking home their salaries.

[1100D]

Originally Posted by Mpower

I dont think it will be missed except in Kerala and WB, only 2 places where people buy Ambassadors.

Hey check that, I wonder how many people in WB buy the Amby for personal use. I can see more Petra's than new (post 2000) Ambassadors being used personally.

[Mpower]

WB was a guess, only because its the land of Ambassador. Kerala from my personal observation. Either way it wont be missed.

[Su-47]

Asking for resumption of dearness allowance, which, I guess is equivalent to a pay hike.. when the unit "has been making losses due to dwindling sales" requires *****. Not ordinary ones, but made of steel, may be titanium.