Hero workers shift to slow gear, production could be hit by 30%

With talks for a wage revision not making headway, workers at Hero MotoCorp's Gurgaon plant on Wednesday went into slow mode at one of the plant's three assembly lines that makes scooters.

Approximately 2,200 scooters roll off this assembly line every day across two shifts and production could be hit by about 30% or 600-700 units of the Pleasure and Maestro scooter models.

In all, the three assembly lines at Gurgaon produce about 7,000 two-wheelers every day.

Discussions between the workers and the Hero management have been on since September 2012.

The Hero management has reportedly offered workers an increase of R7,500 per month to match a similar hike given at its nearby Dharuhera plant in 2011.

However workers who belong to the Hero MotoCorp Workers' Union (HMCWU) are demanding a wage increase of R14,000-15,000 per month. The average salary is currently R46,000 per month.

"There have been no talks with the management today and we plan to keep the slowdown at the same level on Thursday as well. We may resort to slowing down production further if our meeting with the management on Friday is not successful. This is a peaceful protest and we have started small as we want the management to understand that we are serious about our wage demands," said a union member.

The meeting on Friday between the union and the management is expected to be held in the presence of the Gurgaon additional labour commissioner.

When contacted, a Hero MotoCorp spokesperson alleged that the workers have tampered with production equipment, marginally impacting production.

"Even as we are engaged in talks with the union of our Gurgaon plant to reach an amicable solution, they have resorted to tampering with the settings of production equipment, marginally compromising our output for the day. While we are indeed confident of making up this marginal shortfall, this kind of immature and irresponsible activity by the union does not reflect well on the conducive atmosphere in which we have been striving to reach a reasonable, sustainable and sensible settlement in a patient manner."

... contd.

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