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The GM employee’s union in India started “an indefinite relay hunger strike” 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 Employees Union in India is affiliated to IndustriALL through Shramik Ekta Mahasangh.
“The earlier agreement signed with GM management that ensures job protection of workers must be honored. 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,” said Kishor Somwanshi, Shramik Ekta Mahasangh president.
General Motors (GM) India has a volatile history of labor relations at the Talegaon plant. In December 2020, GM India stopped producing at the plant, despite the government rejecting an application for closure.
In July 2021, more than 1000 GM workers were illegally laid off after they refused to accept a voluntary separation scheme and meager compensation as a final settlement, unilaterally decided by management.
Several court cases have been filed in this matter by both management and the union. Last September, the Mumbai High Court ruled in favor of the union, dismissing GM India’s petition challenging an earlier court order which held that the retrenchment of workers was unfair labor practice, and directed the company to pay 50% of the salary to 1086 illegally retrenched workers.
This became complicated 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 fulfillment of certain conditions, such as regulatory clearances from various government departments, including a no-objection certification from the workers stating that they have been compensated. Hyundai India has not given any indication about absorbing the current workforce.
The General Motors Employees Union’s has filed a new petition in Mumbai High Court challenging the transfer of General Motor’s Talegaon plant to Hyundai. The court has admitted the plea, and the judgement is pending.
With an unsure future ahead, the union launched the 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.
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About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn.
He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe.
Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap.
AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks.
Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.
GM Employees in India Start Hunger Strike
Click for more on worker’s rights.
The GM employee’s union in India started “an indefinite relay hunger strike” 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 Employees Union in India is affiliated to IndustriALL through Shramik Ekta Mahasangh.
“The earlier agreement signed with GM management that ensures job protection of workers must be honored. 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,” said Kishor Somwanshi, Shramik Ekta Mahasangh president.
General Motors (GM) India has a volatile history of labor relations at the Talegaon plant. In December 2020, GM India stopped producing at the plant, despite the government rejecting an application for closure.
In July 2021, more than 1000 GM workers were illegally laid off after they refused to accept a voluntary separation scheme and meager compensation as a final settlement, unilaterally decided by management.
Several court cases have been filed in this matter by both management and the union. Last September, the Mumbai High Court ruled in favor of the union, dismissing GM India’s petition challenging an earlier court order which held that the retrenchment of workers was unfair labor practice, and directed the company to pay 50% of the salary to 1086 illegally retrenched workers.
This became complicated 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 fulfillment of certain conditions, such as regulatory clearances from various government departments, including a no-objection certification from the workers stating that they have been compensated. Hyundai India has not given any indication about absorbing the current workforce.
The General Motors Employees Union’s has filed a new petition in Mumbai High Court challenging the transfer of General Motor’s Talegaon plant to Hyundai. The court has admitted the plea, and the judgement is pending.
With an unsure future ahead, the union launched the 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.
AutoInformed on
About Ken Zino
Ken Zino, editor and publisher of AutoInformed, is a versatile auto industry participant with global experience spanning decades in print and broadcast journalism, as well as social media. He has automobile testing, marketing, public relations and communications experience. He is past president of The International Motor Press Assn, the Detroit Press Club, founding member and first President of the Automotive Press Assn. He is a member of APA, IMPA and the Midwest Automotive Press Assn. He also brings an historical perspective while citing their contemporary relevance of the work of legendary auto writers such as Ken Purdy, Jim Dunne or Jerry Flint, or writers such as Red Smith, Mark Twain, Thomas Jefferson – all to bring perspective to a chaotic automotive universe. Above all, decades after he first drove a car, Zino still revels in the sound of the exhaust as the throttle is blipped during a downshift and the driver’s rush that occurs when the entry, apex and exit points of a turn are smoothly and swiftly crossed. It’s the beginning of a perfect lap. AutoInformed has an editorial philosophy that loves transportation machines of all kinds while promoting critical thinking about the future use of cars and trucks. Zino builds AutoInformed from his background in automotive journalism starting at Hearst Publishing in New York City on Motor and MotorTech Magazines and car testing where he reviewed hundreds of vehicles in his decade-long stint as the Detroit Bureau Chief of Road & Track magazine. Zino has also worked in Europe, and Asia – now the largest automotive market in the world with China at its center.