Unrest at Toyota facility: BS Yediyurappa firm govt cannot allow strike to continue

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa on Monday directed chief secretary TM Vijay Bhaskar to take necessary steps to restore normalcy at Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKM) facility, near Bengaluru, which has been at the centre of an employee unrest for the past one month.

The chief minister heard a delegation from the TKM led by vice chairman Vikram Kirloskar, who explained how the Japanese automaker treated its employees all along. Deputy chief minister CN Ashwath Narayan, who is in-charge of Ramanagar district where the facility is located, Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar and Labour Minister Shivaram Hebbar, and the chief secretary were part of the meeting.

“The chief secretary has convened a meeting of officials on Tuesday to decide on the next course of action. There is no way we can allow the strike to continue as it will harm the families of a number of workers as well as hurt Karnataka’s image as an industry friendly state,” Hebbar told ET, after the meeting. “The Toyota factory has generated about 22,000 indirect jobs. All those families are suffering for the past four weeks,” he said.

The labour minister added: “I always work for the interest of labourers, and defend every right of theirs, but I also wish to remind them of their responsibility. In the case of the workers strike at the Toyota factory, to me it appears it was triggered more by ego.”

If the government allows this strike to continue, it will create an impression in the minds of investors that Karnataka is not a safe city for their investments. Any such negative image will cause long-term harm to thousands of our educated youth looking for jobs, Hebbar said.

Sources privy to the talks said none of the ministers supported the strike. Ashwath Narayan also said his own meetings with the union leaders had not been of much use.

Yediyurappa told the delegation his government would always support investors and industries as they bring new jobs and prosperity to workers and the state.

“It was an excellent meeting with the CM and other related ministers and senior officials. We have communicated our position clearly,” Kirloskar told ET. “We have treated our employees more as our partners and members of our family. Our approach will remain the same towards them,” he said.

The TKM Workers Union has been on a strike seeking revocation of the suspension of 40 employees, and demanding other reliefs.

The auto plant has been running its factory with a skeletal staff, churning out only a limited number of vehicles. The company last week said it will need a minimum workforce of 90% in each shift to operations to run smoothly and effectively.