MSI Workers’ Strike: Protesters to go on Hunger Strike on October 2

The striking workers in Myoung Shin Automotive India Pvt. Ltd. (MSI) in Mannur village in Sriperumbudur district of Tamil Nadu, are planning to strengthen their protests. Around 150 employees in the company have been on strike since September 6, demanding recognition of the labour union and a negotiated wage agreement. 15 employees have been suspended till now including the office bearers of the union.

The company is the Indian subsidiary of Korean manufacturer Myung Shin, that supplies machinery parts to Korean auto major Hyundai. The striking employees had conducted a march to the Korean consulate in Chennai on September 27 asking the consulate to intervene in the issue. They were arrested and removed by the police without any provocation. The employees have now started a sit-in in front of the company from Friday onwards.

“The company is not willing to come to any kind of agreement,” says Kannan Soundarrajan, CITU District secretary of Kanchipuram. The Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU) has submitted a petition to the commissioner of Korean consulate asking them to pressurise the company to follow Indian law and to give the employees fair wage. The deputy commissioner of the consulate has agreed to meet the employees on Monday, October 1.

Meanwhile the families of the employees will join the strike from Monday onwards. And on  October 2, on Gandhi Jayanti, employees will go on hunger strike in front of the company.

Temporary Workers for Core production?

Currently, MSI has about 750 temporary staff. Some of them were recruited under NEEM scheme which allows the company to pay them minimum wages in the pretext of training. Using temporary staff for the core production process is a violation of labour laws as the temporary staff might not have proper training. This might lead to accidents as well. So far the labour commission has not taken any action regarding the issue.

Yamaha Motor Workers’ Strike

Workers from India Yamaha Motor Private Limited (IYM), at its Kanchipuram plant in Tamil Nadu are also continuing their protest. Two workers were illegally terminated following the formation of a labour union. The Yamaha employees will also join the MSI protesters for the hunger strike on  October 2.

Employees from other companies are also conducting programmes in support of the striking workers in MSI and Yamaha under the banner of CITU. “On October 2, they are going to boycott their companies to express solidarity with the workers of MSI and Yamaha,” said Kannan.