AFTER 55 days strike against the ‘India Yamaha Motor Private Limited’ in Chennai, the workers under the banner of CITU won a successful battle. The immediate reason for the strike was termination of two employees of the company on September 20, 2018, without any show cause notice. They were terminated just because they had become members of the India Yamaha Motor Thozhilalar Sangam – trade union affiliated to CITU.

The management was forced to accept the dismissed employees on their rolls. This could be made possible with a continuous, firm struggle and unity of all the employees. Apart from the employees of the company, there was massive support from the SIPCOT (State Industries Promotion Corporation of Tamil Nadu) workers who organised gate meetings, participated in human chains, demonstrations and even gave money to the fighting union. The CITU Tamil Nadu unit held demonstrations outside Yamaha showrooms throughout the state. Almost all central trade unions in Tamil Nadu organised solidarity movements.

The strike has offered many lessons. In the history of the Kanchipuram trade union movement, the present struggle was one of the best. About 53 organisations including kisan, youth, women and middle-class organisations, came forward and supported the strike. They contributed financially as well and donated Rs 4.5 lakh.

There were two human chains, one padayatra and one public meeting which were attended by all political parties. There were many dharnas, demonstrations held to mount pressure on the labour department and the government.

During the course of the strike, there were several interventions by the management to win over the employees. Four letters were sent to all the employees by the management to resume work and that special distinction will be awarded to them in case they return to work. Some of the HR management officials even went to the homes of the employees, but all went in vain. The families also stood firmly with the striking employees.

The labour department held five conciliation meetings and on October 3, it issued an advisory to the management to take back the dismissed employees and also to the union to call off the strike. Five peace meetings were held in the office of the collector and other officials of the district. Though the celebrations like Vijayadasami and Deepavali passed through these days, employees showed their firmness to get the dismissal order revoked.

Facing continuous pressure from the employees and the people, the management came to agree the advice of the collector and the labour department. That is: (i) the termination order will be withdrawn and instead suspension with pending enquiry letter will be given. After the inquiry, if the misconduct is proved, then the management will not take the highest action of dismissal, rather will go for suspension and the two employees will get full salary for the suspension period (ii) all cases including criminal, civil and labour will be withdrawn from both sides. (iii) there will be no punitive action against any employee for participating in the strike.

LONG SIMMERING DISCONTENT

UNDERLIES THE PRESENT STRIKE

What seemed like an immediate precipitation of one-sided action against the two employees leading to the strike, actually was out of a simmering discontent in the region which brought many forces together.

It has been a period of nearly three decades of neo-liberal reforms; however unions could not be formed in this region till 2008. Interestingly, Chennai was called as ‘Detroit of Asia’, as, from the 1960s, a large number of auto-based industries developed in the main and semi-urban Chennai. After globalisation, US based Ford, South Korea based Hyundai are the two major players. Subsequently, many ancillary units also got developed and now the semi-urban Chennai holds more than 1000 big and small industries in sectors like automobile, electronics, chemical and engineering.

Hyundai employees started the union in 2008. There were repressive measures but the CITU was able to sustain the union. Then followed the union in Foxconn and many others. Since 2012, management in a few industries started recognising CITU and started signing agreements with them.

Last ten years have shown that self-respect is the primary objective while forming unions by employees; wages came secondary. Managements had denigrating approach towards its employees. After completion of training, employees seek confirmation order. However, the management, at times, force them to clean wash rooms and mop the floors. These employees were picked up through a selection process of campus interviews and are certified diploma or ITI trainees. But they are undermined and disrespected.

The above said reasons compelled the Yamaha employees to form the union. Similar practices are followed at Royal Enfield and many other MNCs. Such self-respect issues were not understood by the management or the labour department. Tamil Nadu, for that matter, is very familiar in history for self-respect movements. Both the ruling and opposition parties claim themselves that they are followers of self-respect movement.

Moreover, the values and ethics that have changed from feudal to capitalist setup are not reflected in social approach. Question of democracy is also a problem in MNCs. All these factors forced them to form union.

WHY STRIKE STARTED IN YAMAHA

On July 29, more than 550 employees held a general body meeting and formed the India Yamaha Motor Thozhilalar Sangam affiliated to the CITU. A Soundararajan was elected as the president along with eight other office bearers. On August 10, an application for trade union registration was submitted at the joint commissioner of labour office.Before that, the management could not assess the unity of the employees.

Yamaha has a strong production base in India. It has two more plants in Surajpur and Faridabad. Chennai plant was started in 2014 and the management claims it to be a dream plant. There are 812 permanent workers, 4,000 contract and trainee workers engaged in the production work. The ancillary units have 5,000 employees as contract workers and trainees. The plant has jumped its production from 200 units per day to 2100 units per day in a period of four years.

Surajpur and Faridabad units already have unions affiliated to the HMS. But Yamaha management said union is not necessary in Chennai. In fact, they wanted to crush it once it read the names of the office bearers.

Initially it tried to convince one individual employee to leave the CITU affiliated union and be the president of a union not affiliated to CITU and settle. The said person however refused. Then the management approached the office bearers but in vain. In the given situation, the union approached the labour commissioner and filed a dispute under section ‘2 K’ of the Industrial Dispute Act. The labour department called for conciliation on September 20. However, the officer bearers were denied permission from work and four of them had to apply for half day leave. On reaching the gate, two office bearers were handed over termination letter without any show cause; just on the pretext that they had formed a union. The management did not turn up at the labour commissioner’s office.

Next day i.e., September 21 as the employees punched their cards for entry, two of them M Rajamanikandan -joint secretary of the union and C Prakash were restricted entry and their punching accessibility was stopped. Immediately this news spread like a wild fire and the employees sat on a dharna outside the building. This dharna continued till September 26. Due to a court’s injunction of 200 metres, the dharna was shifted to SIPCOT and a tent was erected. This continued for 55 days until the employees were successful in winning an important battle which was for both self-respect and the right to form a union.