Trade union leaders press for immediate release of jailed Maruti workers

Workers and Trade Union leaders, democratic rights and civil right organisations from different parts of the country, including Pune, Mumbai, Bengaluru, Kolkata, Chennai, Jaipur and Jharkhand, took part in the “Mazdoor Nyay Adhikar Convention” organised by the Maruti workers sacked in connection with the July 2012 incident. 

In the 2012 incident, a senior manager was killed and over a hundred executives were injured in a clash between the workers and their managerial staff inside India’s largest automobile manufacturer Maruti’s Manesar Plant on July 18, 2012. 

In this regard, the Maruti Suzuki Workers Union had organised protest  rallies, hunger strikes and sent deputations seeking reinstatement of 546 permanent and 1800 contract laborers terminated by the company. Later, 148 Maruti workers, including members of the Maruti Suzuki Workers’ Union, were arrested and 546 regular workers lost their jobs. Though more than a hundred workers were granted bail earlier this year, 36 are still languishing in jail.

Demanding the immediate release of the workers, one of the sacked Maruti workers, Ram Niwas said that though there was no evidence against the workers the court refused to grant bail to them for more than three years on the grounds that it would adversely impact foreign investment in the country. 

In a scathing attack on his own fraternity for lack of co-operation, Ram Niwas said that the job of trade unions was just not to collect donations and the time had come for the workers across the country to join hands. He made an appeal to the union leaders and the intellectuals to prepare the blueprint on how to take the movement forward.

A representative from People’s Union of Democratic Rights said that even though there is a delay we are all standing with the Maruti workers who were jailed for no fault of theirs and we should not lose hope if they fail to get justice in the lower court.