Skip to main content

Manesar union leaders' suspension: Conflict with management 'simmers' despite talks

By Harsh Thakor* 

The Belsonica Company, which manufactures auto parts in Manesar, Haryana, suspended three office bearers of the labour union a few days. The management, which took this extreme step, is being accused of adopting it as a strategy to terrorise workers from asserting their rights or organising themselves.
The trade union attached with the company has appealed to all democratic forces to vehemently condemn the move and solidarise with the suspended leaders. The act is manifestation of the autocratic nature of the pro-coporate social order as a whole, it said.
On March 17, Mohinder Kapoor, President of the Belsonica Mazdoor Union, General Secretary Ajit Singh and Organization Secretary Sunil Kumar, were given a written notice of suspension at around 12 noon. Police force was deployed at the factory when the management suspended the three union office bearers.
Mohinder Kapoor stated that the management prevented the three suspended union officials from stepping foot into the factory. On March 17th “B” shift buses were stopped at the initial bus stop itself. The workers of “B” shift were sought to be brought in when the workers of “A” shift were dropped at their destination after the discharge of “A” shift.
He said, the management illegally obstructed the three suspended union officials from stepping inside the factory in the morning again on March 18 for “A” shift. The buses by which these office bearers travel to the company were not allowed to ply until they were dropped.
However, receiving support from worker colleagues, two of the three office bearers reached the factory by the company bus. General Secretary Ajit Singh reached the company gate from his personal place. Thereafter, the police force deployed in the factory premises prevented all three from going inside.
T policemen present at the plant prevented the union officials to enter because they were suspended from the company. In response, the union members affirmed that they have not been expelled from the union. That's the reason that they cannot be obstructed from going to the union office.
Meanwhile, the management locked all the gates of the company. Because of this, three office bearers of Maruti Sangharsh Mazdoor Sangathan of Maruti Plant, who had come to meet the members of the Belsonica union, were also prevented from stepping in the plant.
Before the Holi holidays, the Belsonica management began to scrutinise each worker’s home verification in order to ascertain whether it was in the based on fake documents. The union, began tool down protest started from 7:30 am in the “A” shift. After the mutual consent of the union and the workers, at 2:00 pm, after ending the tool down, they began to work again.
According to the union, management has recruited a large number of contract workers to displace permanent workers. Many bouncers have also been recruited by the company to scare protesting workers amidst apprehensions that the Belsonica management would lay off a large number of permanent and old contract workers from the factory.
The conflict between the Belsonica union and the management is simmering at a boiling point, though negotiations are proceeding between the Belsonica union and the management under the jurisdiction of the Assistant Labour Commissioner. 
Talks were held between the Belsonica Union and the Belsonica Management on March 3, 13 and 15 in the presence of the Assistant Labour Commissioner. Both the parties were instructed to preserve the status quo and maintain peace inside the plant and the next resolution talks were called on March 20, 2023.
The union said, the intention of the Belsonica management is to lay off permanent workers, warning, it will not allow the management to succeed in such retrenchment.
Meanwhile, the wives of the suspended union leaders have come down heavily of the management. Monika affirmed that her husband Ajit Singh as a revolutionary leader had supported the workers in every juncture and considered their every problem as his own. She asserted that suspending permanent workers without any prior intimation shows the autocratic attitude of the management.
She stated that she has two children, both of whom study in a private school. However, after the suspension of her husband, the family has been forced to reconsider how the children should be taught in a private school or should be admitted to a government school.
According to the union, management has recruited a large number of contract workers to displace permanent workers
On March 22, 2023, a militant procession and protest was organized in front of the Gurgaon DC office by the relatives of the Belsonika workers and the Progressive Women's Unity Centre.
Union Secretary Sunil Kumar's wife Deepika, 7 months pregnant, stated that awarding sudden suspension without any valid reason is completely illegal. She narrated the sheer misery of her life with her family in a rented house in Manesar. Her three-year-old son is in need of admission in nursery this year.
Apart from this, Sunil Kumar has to pay loan of up to Rs 20,000 every month. The sudden suspension has placed an additional load on the family. She demanded that the management should abolish the contractual practice and immediately re instate all the workers who have been dismissed or suspended.
Reena, wife of Mohinder Kapoor, head of the Belsonica union, said that after working in the Belsonica company for the last 15 years, if the workers are suspended without informing them, their families would have to face a host of problems.
She described how inflation is skyrocketing. She referred to the fact that the gas cylinder itself costs Rs 1,100, and the Belsonica management has suspended the labourers in a situation when everyone has to bear task of paying the fees for the admission of the children in the new class, besides buying new books.
She stated that as per the rules of the Belsonica management, the suspended workers would have to be paid half of their monthly salary for the next three months. Still it would be difficult to cover even the fixed expenses that incur every month.
She demanded that the Belsonica management immediately eradicate the practice of hiring cheap and unskilled contract workers in place of permanent workers, re-instate all the workers who were fired on basis of internal investigation, and revoke the suspension of three union officials and call them back to work.
Farmers’ organisations have voiced support to the Belsonica workers. Dr Darshan Pal, member of the Krantikari Kisan Union (KKU), has offered to support the demonstrations staged in support of the suspended office bearers of the Belsonica union. Heasserted all the suspended officials should be reinstated to the job immediately. The ongoing contract practice in the company should be stopped.
Ravi Azad, a member of the United Kisan Morcha Haryana, through his YouTube channel, demanded immediate reinstatement of the suspended office bearers of the Belsonica union. Azad saidm the authoritarian approach of the Belsonica management towards the workers should stop.
---
*Freelance journalist who has covered mass movements around India. Thanks to Sashikala Singh for information of response from wives

Comments

TRENDING

Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan raises concerns over Jharkhand Adivasis' plight in Assam, BJP policies

By Our Representative  The Loktantra Bachao Abhiyan (Save Democracy Campaign) has issued a pressing call to protect Adivasi rights in Jharkhand, highlighting serious concerns over the treatment of Jharkhandi Adivasis in Assam. During a press conference in Ranchi on November 9, representatives from Assam, Chhattisgarh, and Madhya Pradesh criticized the current approach of BJP-led governments in these states, arguing it has exacerbated Adivasi struggles for rights, land, and cultural preservation.

Promoting love or instilling hate and fear: Why is RSS seeking a meeting with Rahul Gandhi?

By Ram Puniyani*  India's anti-colonial struggle was marked by a diverse range of social movements, one of the most significant being Hindu-Muslim unity and the emergence of a unified Indian identity among people of all religions. The nationalist, anti-colonial movement championed this unity, best embodied by Mahatma Gandhi, who ultimately gave his life for this cause. Gandhi once wrote, “The union that we want is not a patched-up thing but a union of hearts... Swaraj (self-rule) for India must be an impossible dream without an indissoluble union between the Hindus and Muslims of India. It must not be a mere truce... It must be a partnership between equals, each respecting the religion of the other.”

Right-arm fast bowler who helped West Indies shape arguably greatest Test team in cricket history

By Harsh Thakor*  Malcolm Marshall redefined what it meant to be a right-arm fast bowler, challenging the traditional laws of biomechanics with his unique skill. As we remember his 25th death anniversary on November 4th, we reflect on the legacy he left behind after his untimely death from colon cancer. For a significant part of his career, Marshall was considered one of the fastest and most formidable bowlers in the world, helping to shape the West Indies into arguably the greatest Test team in cricket history.

Swami Vivekananda's views on caste and sexuality were 'painfully' regressive

By Bhaskar Sur* Swami Vivekananda now belongs more to the modern Hindu mythology than reality. It makes a daunting job to discover the real human being who knew unemployment, humiliation of losing a teaching job for 'incompetence', longed in vain for the bliss of a happy conjugal life only to suffer the consequent frustration.

A Hindu alternative to Valentine's Day? 'Shiv-Parvati was first love marriage in Universe'

By Rajiv Shah  The other day, I was searching on Google a quote on Maha Shivratri which I wanted to send to someone, a confirmed Shiv Bhakt, quite close to me -- with an underlying message to act positively instead of being negative. On top of the search, I chanced upon an article in, imagine!, a Nashik Corporation site which offered me something very unusual. 

Andhra team joins Gandhians to protest against 'bulldozer action' in Varanasi

By Rosamma Thomas*  November 1 marked the 52nd day of the 100-day relay fast at the satyagraha site of Rajghat in Varanasi, seeking the restoration of the 12 acres of land to the Sarva Seva Sangh, the Gandhian organization that was evicted from the banks of the river. Twelve buildings were demolished as the site was abruptly taken over by the government after “bulldozer” action in August 2023, even as the matter was pending in court.  

Will Bangladesh go Egypt way, where military ruler is in power for a decade?

By Vijay Prashad*  The day after former Bangladeshi Prime Minister Sheikh Hasina left Dhaka, I was on the phone with a friend who had spent some time on the streets that day. He told me about the atmosphere in Dhaka, how people with little previous political experience had joined in the large protests alongside the students—who seemed to be leading the agitation. I asked him about the political infrastructure of the students and about their political orientation. He said that the protests seemed well-organized and that the students had escalated their demands from an end to certain quotas for government jobs to an end to the government of Sheikh Hasina. Even hours before she left the country, it did not seem that this would be the outcome.

Will Left victory in Sri Lanka deliver economic sovereignty plan, go beyond 'tired' IMF agenda?

By Atul Chandra, Vijay Prashad*  On September 22, 2024, the Sri Lankan election authority announced that Anura Kumara Dissanayake of the Janatha Vimukthi Peramuna (JVP)-led National People’s Power (NPP) alliance won the presidential election. Dissanayake, who has been the leader of the left-wing JVP since 2014, defeated 37 other candidates, including the incumbent president Ranil Wickremesinghe of the United National Party (UNP) and his closest challenger Sajith Premadasa of the Samagi Jana Balawegaya. 

Green Revolution’s reliance on chemical fertilizers, pesticides contributing to Punjab's health crisis

By Bharat Dogra, Jagmohan Singh*  Punjab was once synonymous with robust health, particularly in its rural areas, where farmers were known for their strength and vitality. However, in recent years, reports from these villages tell a different story, with rising cases of serious health issues, including cancer. What led to this decline? The answer lies largely in the erosion of good nutrition, once a hallmark of Punjabi village life. The health of a population is closely tied to its nutrition, and Punjab's reputation as a provider of high-quality nutrition has suffered greatly. The loss of biodiversity in agriculture has led to a decrease in the variety and quality of crops, resulting in poorer nutrition. Pulses, a key source of protein, have seen a steep decline in cultivation due to the disruption of traditional farming practices by the Green Revolution. This has had a detrimental effect on both soil and human health. Although pulses are still available in the market, they are exp

Tributes paid to pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, who 'dodged' police for 60 yrs

By Harsh Thakor*  Jagjit Singh Sohal, known as Comrade Sharma, a pioneer of Naxalism in Punjab, passed away on October 20 at the age of 96. Committed to the Naxalite cause and a prominent Maoist leader, Sohal, who succeeded Charu Majumdar, played hide and seek with the police for almost six decades. He was cremated in Patiala.