Police, HMSI workers clash in Gurgaon!

[Gordon]

Honda bike plant strike causes Rs 100 crore loss

Motorcycle production has been suspended at the Manesar plant of Honda Motorcycle and Scooter India, which is in the midst of a major labour unrest.

“We had to stop production of motorcycles as almost all the existing manpower and resources are being diverted for scooter production,” a senior company official told PTI at Manesar. The company sells only one model motorcycle in India, the 150-Cc Unicorn. Since its launch last year, the model, which primarily competes with Bajaj’s Pulsar model, received encouraging response in the market. “The production of Unicorn was stopped on June 27, when production levels were severely hampered due to the ongoing strike,” HMSI general manager (manufacturing) V Sridhar said. The profitable HMSI, a wholly-owned subsidiary of Japan’s two-wheeler major Honda Motor Co, has scooters as its mainstay in India and is credited with reviving the sagging sales of the scooter market. The strike, due to which the company has suffered losses to the tune of Rs 100 crore, has seen production levels going down drastically.

Source: http://www.financialexpress.com/fe_f...ntent_id=96323

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Police, Honda bike workers clash in Gurgaon

Workers of Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India Ltd, demanding reinstatement of their colleagues, fought pitched battles with police on the streets of Gurgaon today leaving scores of people injured, some of them seriously, and indulged in arson.

Police charged with batons against the workers after a clash took place between them outside the mini-Secretariat where the employees had gathered for talks with the district authorities following their blockade of the national highway leading to Delhi.

The workers hurled stones and bricks at the police and the two warring sides took turns and charged at each other on the streets.

The workers also set ablaze some vehicles, including one belonging to the police, on fire.

For full story: http://www.hindu.com/thehindu/holnus...0507252127.htm

[Mpower]

This incident is not good for Haryana/UP region and the whole NCR region.

Major companies like BMW and VW are scouting for locations for setting up plants. Once a city gets a reputation for militant workers, companies will stay away.

Of course, I dunno what exactly started all this, but Honda is known to take good care of their workers. There was a similar problem in Toyota plant in Bangalore.

[Revvmaster]

Major companies like BMW and VW are scouting for locations for setting up plants.

BMW has already commited to Tamil Nadu. Read the story here

http://www.team-bhp.com/forum/showthread.php?t=6680 (BMW, soon from Chenglepet, TN)

As for VW.. they have indefinitely postponed their plans. If you can get your hands on this month ACI, they mention about a few errant and militant workers who were sacked in June. 4 workers were dismissed and 30 were suspended. Trouble grew when Union leaders intervened. Production was reduced to a third from June 27.

Today's episode was a sad reminder that some elements still exist that are willing to put a spanner in the works on India's progress. Unfortunately they are people from our own country.

Revv

[turbo_lover]

saw it in the news man..those people were getting beaten like they were a huge pack of rabid dogs...

[normally_crazy]

This problem of the HMSI plant has been on for about 20-25 days now. there was an incident involving a top brass and a worker within the premises that led to the strike. the production is absolutely stopped ....and we are left holding a huge quantity of hoses at our end ..............and then when there was some respite with a single shift start , along comes this clash ...now we have to wait n watch how this developes.

and yeah the people were being beaten like the cops were on a personal vendatta trip.....and the images coming thru the news channels were truly horrific !

[merve_extreme]

what actually made the police do what they did was because many of the policemen were singled out and beaten up by the mob.u must have seen that single police man being beaten up by a mob of 10-15 when he was pleading.

and indian police are like "you hit once and we will hit you ten times".

[prasygreat]

What else do you expect Police to do when SDM's vehicle is burnt, DSP's hands broken, one constable on death bed...Fold hands and ask for mercy...
I guess such Police actions are required at times because Law works on deterrence and not verbatim implementation.

[merve_extreme]

Originally Posted by prasygreat

What else do you expect Police to do when SDM's vehicle is burnt, DSP's hands broken, one constable on death bed...Fold hands and ask for mercy...
I guess such Police actions are required at times because Law works on deterrence and not verbatim implementation.

completely agree with u.they could have agitated silently without provoking the police.

[Conan]

It was one of the horrific and shameful incidents, just like the Bihar assembly carnage. And I am sure this will be shown in some reality show on AXN.
Man those buggers in uniforms were hitting people who have surrendered, bang on the head with huge lathies.
I think the police were singled out and beaten after, the police were abnormally harsh. Democracy goes down the drain. People beating up each other like raving chimpanzees.

[2L8uLoose]

From NDTV
Tuesday, July 26, 2005 (Gurgaon/New Delhi):


Fresh clashes were reported today at a civil hospital in Gurgaon between the relatives of workers of a Honda subsidiary and the city administration.

Angry family members of Honda employees attacked Deputy District Commissioner Sudhir Rajpal inside the civil hospital when he was trying to speak to the press. The crowd refused to let him speak and manhandled him.

Police reinforcements had to be called in to control the crowd that was also damaging furniture inside the hospital.

Earlier, responding to reports that some workers were still missing, Sudhir Rajpal said 61 people have been arrested under the two FIRs filed in the case.

Rajpal said 320 people, who were taken into preventive custody yesterday, were released late last night.

The Gurgaon administration has also released a fresh list of the injured and those who have been discharged from hospital.

Police fire teargas

Outside the hospital's out patient department, police had to fire teargas to drive back the protestors who were pelting stones and had overturned a jeep.

CPI(M) general secretary and CPM politburo member Brinda Karat went to visit the injured workers this morning. She said the district administration was acting as an agent of the MNCs.

UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi will visit the injured at the civil hospital today.

In view of the violence in Gurgaon, the Cabinet Committee on Political Affairs will meet tonight.

Meanwhile, the Inspector General of Police has said that the police are doing everything they can to bring the situation under control and is also compiling a comprehensive list of those people injured after yesterday's clashes.

The IG said that over 60 people have been taken into preventive custody and will be produced in court and the police will conduct its own inquiry.

Discontent at Honda

Monday's violent clashes witnessed in Gurgaon can be traced to an incident that occurred on December 17 last year.

A factory operator was apparently physically abused by a foreign official visiting the company leading to a furore among the workers.

The official had to later tender an apology.

Meanwhile, the workers began raising various demands including a salary hike. To press harder for their demands, they even formed a Honda Motors and Scooters Employees Union.


But things came to a head when the management sacked four workers and suspended 23 others.

The workers allege that later the company even refused to hire 34 workers who had completed their training.

They submitted at least four memorandums to the management to register their protest.

But a lock-out was declared at the factory on June 27. And from there on, things went from bad to worse.

Despite talks with the management and even the Gurgaon administration, the deadlock continued
All I can Say is TSK TSK TSK

__________________________________________________ ____________________

[ritik123]

These workers are outright crazy.

[normally_crazy]

News just in from our offices in delhi - HMSI plant shut down ....at least for now till this farcas clears itself .

lets wait n watch

situation is very tense and grim....

[Conan]

Originally Posted by ritik123

These workers are outright crazy.

I tend to disagree. This would not have happened, if not for the brutal lathi charge in the first place. I more pissed with the Ba****ds in uniform, abusing their powers against common/oridnary people. A rally will not turn into a violent mob without provocation.

[RX135]

@conan and ritik, We don't know exactly what happened there. So unless one has clear sequence of events, one can not jump to any conclusion. Police is brutal especially if attacked. There is something called "Mob psychology", which makes even sane people go wild. Whatever happened is just sad! Worsening further, especially now that political parties trying to step in to rip benefits. (CPI alleged police to be agents of MNCs).

[Conan]

Originally Posted by RX135

We don't know exactly what happened there. So unless one has clear sequence of events, one can not jump to any conclusion.

Well you are right. But the tapes paint a very bad image of India. Atleast the educated officers in the police could have restrained themselves. I am sure the animals who attached the police were not the same who surrendered. So essentially police bet up inoccents at random. I hope the footage is used to bring every bugger, both uniformed and non uniformed, to book.

Originally Posted by RX135

There is something called "Mob psychology", which makes even sane people go wild.

Yes i have seen that first hand, in college strikes and during Kaveri water dispute. It is intoxicating.