Maruti's Manesar plant workers on strike again

Just over a month after they called off a 13-day-long stir that resulted in a loss of about

Rs 630 crore (Rs 6.3 billion), workers at Maruti Suzuki India's Manesar plant went on strike again this afternoon.

The workers resorted to a strike when five of them were suspended for 'allegedly assaulting a supervisor' on Wednesday.

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When contacted, a company spokesperson said: "One of the supervisors was assaulted by workers yesterday and when disciplinary action was being taken by way of suspension today, they have gone on stir.

"The number of workers on strike are much less this time."

It is understood that the five suspended workers had been issued a showcause notice by the management.

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The workers, however, insisted it is not a full-scale strike.

"We observed a one-hour tool-down strike protesting against forcible eviction of four colleagues by police," a worker at the plant said.

Out of them, three are office bearers of the Maruti Suzuki Employees Union, including general secretary Shiv Kumar, he added.

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A production loss of about 50 units was suffered on account of the one-hour tool-down strike, a worker said.

Earlier, on June 4, workers at the plant had gone on a 13-day-long strike demanding the recognition of a new union, the Maruti Suzuki Employees Union.