5 October, 2023General Motors Employees Union in India, affiliated to IndustriALL through Shramik Ekta Mahasangh, launched an indefinite demonstration on 2 October, demanding that the workforce of General Motors’ Talegaon plant be absorbed by Hyundai Motors India as the plant is sold.
General Motors (GM) India has a chequered history of labour relations at the Talegaon plant. In December 2020, GM India stopped producint at the plant, despite the government rejecting an application for closure. In July 2021, more than 1,000 GM workers were illegally laid off after they refused to accept a voluntary separation scheme and meagre compensation as a final settlement, unilaterally decided by management.
Several court cases have been filed in this regard, by both management and the union. Last September, Mumbai High Court ruled in favour of the union, dismissing GM India’s petition challenging an earlier court order which held that the retrenchment of workers was unfair labour practice, and directed the company to pay 50 per cent of the salary to 1,086 illegally retrenched workers.
However, the course of events changed when Maharashtra state government approved the sale of GM Talegaon plant assets to South Korean car maker, Hyundai. The two companies have signed an Asset Purchase Agreement but the completion of the acquisition is subject to the fulfilment of certain conditions, like regulatory clearances from various government departments, including a no-objection certification from the workers stating that they have been compensated.
So far, Hyundai India has not given any indication about absorbing the current workforce.
General Motors Employees Union’s has filed a new petition in Mumbai High Court challenging the transfer of General Motor’s Talegaon Pune plant to Hyundai. The court has admitted the plea and the judgement is pending.
With an unsure future ahead, the union launched an indefinite relay hunger strike on 2 October. Every day, 20 workers, sit on a rotational basis at the entrance of industrial development area where GM plant is located.
Kishor Somwanshi, Shramik Ekta Mahasangh president, says:
“The earlier agreement signed with GM management that ensures job protection of workers must be honoured. We have no choice but to protest since the state government has repeatedly ignored our requests to reach an agreement with all the parties involved.”