3 March, 2025India’s automotive sector is expanding fast, but behind the industry’s success the workforce struggles with low wages, precarious jobs and dangerous working conditions. In response, Indian auto unions have come together on 3 March, in Pune to strengthen their coordination and develop strategies to protect workers' rights.
The national workshop, organized by IndustriALL Global Union and Union to Union, brought together 13 factory unions and four IndustriALL affiliates INSMM&EEF (INTUC), WPTUC, SMEFI (HMS) and SEM and potential unions from different MNCs, to formalize a coordination committee and lay out a clear plan to tackle precarious work, improve wages and fight for safer workplaces.
"The Indian auto industry is booming, but this success is built on precarious work and unsafe conditions. Workers are paying the price while corporations profit. Our unions are fighting to change that,"
says Ashutosh Bhattacharya, IndustriALL regional secretary.
India is the fourth-largest automotive market globally, with an anticipated 20 per cent annual growth and a projected US$150 billion EV market by 2023. Despite these economic gains, working conditions remain precarious:
- 60-65 per cent of workers are in unstable, insecure jobs.
- Wages remain low, 25,000 – 50,000 INR per month (approx. 285 –570 US$) per month.
- Occupational health and safety (OHS) is a major concern, with 20 per cent of the workforce suffering work-related injuries, mostly young workers under 30, often with no compensation.
- Job losses during the pandemic highlighted the fragility of employment in the sector.
The newly established coordination committee set clear priorities for action:
- Target key groups by strengthening representation for women, youth and precarious workers.
- Get Just Transition in collective bargaining, a recently signed CBA in Pune included language on Just Transition, setting a precedent for future agreements.
- Develop a model CBA by creating a framework for best practices in bargaining across the sector.
- Strengthen governance by having regular general body meetings and local-level coordination to maintain momentum.
Participating unions from companies such as Maruti Suzuki, Toyota, Volvo, Renault-Nissan, Yamaha and Bosch committed to increase organizing efforts and fight back against the industrial relations crisis in the sector.
"Indian automotive unions are showing incredible determination. Women and youth workers are working in white collars and precarious employment, exposing them to work in precarious conditions with very little OSH rights. This is about more than just jobs, it’s about dignity, fair wages, and a future for workers in this sector,"
says Bhattacharya.
“By uniting, we can push back against precarious work and demand safer, more secure employment for all."
Moving forward, unions will map the sector by September this year, using the findings to refine their organizing strategy and advance workers' rights. With over a decade of experience supporting auto unions in India, IndustriALL is committed to helping build a strong national network, ensuring Indian auto workers have a voice in shaping the future of their industry.