Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) has reiterated that it will not drop an enquiry into the alleged misconduct of suspended employees, who have been sitting on a strike outside the company’s car manufacturing plant at Bidadi near Bengaluru.
The company, however, stated that the enquiry will be “fair and transparent” and duly adhere to the principles of natural justice to arrive at a speedy conclusion.
At a meeting held on February 8, which was attended by industries minister Jagadish Shettar and labour minister Shivaram Hegde, the company made its stand clear that it believes in adopting a fair and transparent approach. Earlier, the TKM Employees Union had demanded dropping enquiry against the suspended workers and wanted the company to also not insist on signing an undertaking by the employees before calling off their strike.
About 3,500 workers had launched an indefinite strike on November 9, 2020, in demand for reinstatement of a suspended employee. Subsequently, the company had declared a lockout at the factory and withdrew it after the government prohibited it. However, it reimposed the lockout after the workers failed to return to the work. It further lifted the lockout after the government’s intervention in January. The employees union is yet to call off their strike.
So far, about 1,700 workers have signed an undertaking and returned to work, it said.
The company has reiterated that it is a people-centric company. “Discipline is a fundamental requisite for ensuring safety and quality, and not just for the smooth functioning of an organisation,” TKM spokesperson said in a statement.
It further stated that workplace improvement is a continuous process at TKM and the company has a system in place to address workability issues.
As of 2020, TKM has invested Rs 9,500 crore in Karnataka directly, and including its dealers and suppliers, the total investment is around Rs 18,000 crore. It has provided employment to 6,100 workers directly, and another 42,000 people through the value chain.