By V. Vijayalakshmi, IANS
Pune : Over a week after the closure of the Bajaj Auto Ltd (BAL) plant in Akurdi near here, the future of more than 2,700 workers remains uncertain. But they are not giving up without a fight.
Fifty-two-year-old Pandurange Kadlag, a resident of Kothrud in Pune, worked for BAL for more three decades. He was just a 20-year-old when he joined the plant. As far he and his family were concerned, it was truly “Hamara Bajaj” – the catchphrase of the company.
Now Kadlag and his family are in a state of shock. “I am 52 years old. Who will give me a job now? I have a grown up daughter whom I have to marry off by next year,” Kadlag told IANS.
BAL managing director Rajiv Bajaj announced the shutdown of the Akurdi plant Aug 29. The introduction of a four-day week in the factory was seen as a final countdown before halting vehicle production completely.
But workers say they were taken by surprise Aug 29 when they learnt of BAL’s decision to close the plant, which used to roll out over 3,000 two-wheelers every month.
The firm has stated that workers will continue to get paid despite the closure. But the workers are not willing to settle for an uncertain arrangement like that.
“The BAL management never spoke with us. They did not even inform the government’s labour wing about the closure of the unit,” Suryakant Mahadik, the president of Bharatiya Kamgar Sena (BKS) to which the BAL workers’ union is affiliated.
Workers see a ray of hope in Union Agriculture Minister Sharad Pawar, who is an MP from the Baramati constituency where most of the workers live.
“Sharad Pawarji is playing a very good role. Because of him, the union is getting the much needed confidence,” said Mahadik.
With Pawar’s support, the BKS is all set to fight the management’s decision to close the 45-year-old plant.
Pawar had met some officials of BAL in Pune. None of the members of the Bajaj family was present. Mahadik said the BKS did not approach Pawar and the latter volunteered to help.
An acute drop in demand for production has been cited as one of the reasons for the shutdown of this four-decades-old unit. Rajiv Bajaj has also held the government’s policies on capacity rationalisation and Maharashtra’s octroi duty responsible for the company’s decision.
BAL executive director Sanjiv Bajaj told reporters, “We had to take this decision as the costs are very high. This plant does not enjoy any tax benefits and octroi also adds to the costs. That is why we are shutting it down.”
The Akurdi plant used to produce 600-650 vehicles a day in two shifts in 1993-94. But with Bajaj shifting its product line to other plants and outsourcing many parts, things changed considerably at Akurdi. Almost 8,000 people have opted for voluntary retirement since then.
Right now around 700 workers are engaged in R&D work at the plant while around 700 are sitting idle.
With BAL maintaining that the Akurdi plant has become unviable, production is likely to be shifted to more efficient plants at Pantnagar and Aurangabad which also enjoy tax benefits.