Apollo Tyres officials fail to turn up for talks, strike enters 9th day

With the deadlock between the management and workers at the Waghodia plant of Apollo Tyres entering the seventh day, the office of the deputy labour commissioner in Vadodara on Monday failed to bring the representatives from the management and workers together to resolve the crisis.

Deputy labour commissioner K O Shah had summoned the representatives from management and workers on Monday, but nobody from the management turned up, citing apprehension of being gheraoed by workers outside the district labour department office.

"Representatives from management refused to come to our office on Monday, saying they were frightened of workers. We have again asked them to come to our office on Tuesday to resolve the crisis, failing which we will take the matter to the state labour department," Shah said.

Representatives of workers, led by the state president of the Bhartiya Mazdoor Sangh, Hussain Solanki, said they were ready for talks with the management but it was not showing any inclination for the same.

"The management is not ready to resolve the crisis and is citing unfounded fears for not coming on the negotiation table. They have been refusing to listen to our grievances, which is why the workers are not willing to join work," Solanki said.

Around 1,500 workers at the nylon tyre-making unit of Apollo Tyres stopped

going to the plant last Tuesday alleging that the management had called in police to exert pressure on them not to protest peacefully outside the factory and suspended two workers citing absenteeism.

From Sunday, the workers took to protesting outside the factory to press for their demands. Among other grievances, workers said the three committees formed by the management to look after their grievances were not working properly.

In a statement, Apollo Tyres Limited said "management is making all-out efforts to resolve the issue".

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