Types of Strikes

Strikes are of two types, namely:

i. Primary Strikes and ii. Secondary Strikes.

i. Primary Strikes: These are strikes against the management. The different types are:

a. Stay away strike – Workmen stay away from the work by organizing rallies, demonstrations
etc.
b. Sit down strike – Workmen come to work but sit idle.
c. Tools/pens down strike – Strikers do not touch tools, put down pens in case of office workers
and do not teach in case of teachers.
d. Token strike – Strikers do not work for certain hours to warn the management of impending
full scale strike in case of its persistent indifference to their demands.
e. Lightning strike – Strike called out without any prior notice is lightning strike.
f. Go slow strike – Workers reduce their pace of functioning.
g. Work to rule – Workmen work strictly according to rule or job description without doing any
extra work and not staying late even for a single minute after their stipulated work time.
h. Boycott – Disturbing the normal functions of an enterprise is boycotting.
i. Gherao – It is a physical blockage of a target area by encirclement intended to block the entry
and exit from the premises.
j. Hunger strike – Strikers abstain from food for a limited number of hours in a day to register
their protest thereby drawing the attention of management to their demands.
k. Picketing – It is an act of posting pickets or patrolling of workmen in front of the premises of
the employer.

ii. Secondary Strikes: These are strikes against a third party. Hartals, political bandhs,
etc., are examples of secondary strike.

Legal Strike or Justifiable Strike:

The following requirements make strike a justifiable strike:

i. Strike called for pressing economic demands like pay hike, DA, increments, leave, fringe
benefits, etc.

ii. Demands of workers are reasonable, for example, inhuman working environment, unsafe,
production process, lack of canteen or transport, housing facilities, etc.

iii. withdrawal of existing facilities like closure of, ration benefit, education loan, healthcare
benefit, insurance benefit, etc.

iv. Management pursuing unfair labour practices.

Prevention of Strike:

The following measures prevent strike:

i. Progressive HR policy aimed at maintaining cordial industrial relations.

ii. Speedy grievance redressal system
iii. Proper recognition given to union representatives.
iv. Timely implementation of HR policies.
v. Encouraging collective bargaining.
vi. Promoting joint consultation across various levels of the organization.
vii. Providing a congenial work environment.
viii. Effective implementation of labour welfare measures.
ix. Putting in place a sound incentive system.
x. Practicing participative management.
xi. Impeccable recruitment, selection and promotion policies.
xii. Ensuring effective two-way communication.
xiii. Sharing vital financial information with workers and increasing contact with workmen.
xiv. Sharing gains of participation with the workers.
xv. Arranging get-togethers and greeting workers on their anniversaries. ,
xvi. Rewarding and recognising the exemplary talents of workers.
xvii. Taking unions into confidence before putting in place any major change in the work
method.
xviii. Conducting morale and job satisfaction survey to spot out grey areas of dissatisfaction and
taking proactive measures to weed out cropping up resentment
Lockout: According to Industrial Disputes Act, 1947, lockout means ​closing of a place of
business of employment or the suspension of work or refusal by an employer to continue
to employ any number of persons employed by him. Thus, lockout means refusal of the
employer to give work to workmen with the intention of arm-twisting them to accept the will of
the player or to force workers to withdraw their demands.

Features of Lockout:
i. Closure of industrial undertaking when employer apprehends a destruction (or) damage to his
property in the event of industrial dispute.
ii. As long as the employer refuses to give work, there is suspension of employer-employee
relationship.
iii. It is a weapon in the hands of the employer to force them to give in to his demands.

Maruti Suzuki Manesar Plant incident

Maruti Suzuki India Limited, formerly known as Maruti Udyog Limited, is an automobile
manufacturer in India. Founded in 1981 Revenue: 58,612 crore (2016) Number of employees:
40000 (2019) .It is a subsidiary of Japanese automobile and motorcycle manufacturer Suzuki
Motor Corporation. The company is headquartered at New Delhi.

Since its founding in 1983, Maruti Udyog Limited has experienced problems with its labour
force. The ​Indian labour it hired readily accepted Japanese work culture and the modern
manufacturing process. In 1997, there was a change in ownership, and Maruti became
predominantly government controlled. Shortly thereafter, conflict between the ​United Front
Government and Suzuki started. In 2000, a major industrial relations issue began and
employees of Maruti went on an indefinite strike, demanding among other things, major
revisions to their wages, incentives and pensions.

Employees used ​slowdown in October 2000, to press a revision to their incentive-linked pay.
The management refused union demands citing increased competition and lower margins. The
central government privatized Maruti in 2002 and Suzuki became the majority owner of Maruti
Udyog Limited.
On 18 July 2012, Maruti’s Manesar plant was hit by violence as workers at one of its auto
factories attacked supervisors, engineers and other management personnel and burnt and killed
a senior HR executive, injured 100 managers, including two Japanese expatriates. The mob
also injured nine policemen. The company’s General Manager of Human Resources had both
arms and legs broken by his attackers, unable to leave the building that was set ablaze, and he
was charred to death.
The two factories were partially set on fire and the offices, security cabins and fire safety
systems were completely damaged. As many as 91 workers were arrested. The plant was shut
indefinitely.
The police, in its ​First Information Report (FIR), claimed on 21 July that Manesar violence is the
result of a planned violence by a section of workers and union leaders and arrested 91 people.
Maruti Suzuki in its statement on the unrest,announced that all work at the Manesar plant has
been suspended indefinitely.The shut down of Manesar plant was leading to a loss of about Rs
75 crore ​per day. On 21 July 2012, citing safety concerns, the company announced a ​lockout
under ​The Industrial Disputes Act, 1947 pending results of an inquiry the company has
requested of the ​Haryana government into the causes of the disorder. Under the provisions of
The Industrial Disputes Act for wages, the report claimed, employees are expected to be paid
for the duration of the lockout. On 26 July 2012, Maruti announced employees would not be
paid for the period of lock-out in accordance with ​Indian labour laws​. The company further
announced that it will stop using contract workers by March 2013.

Shinzo Nakanishi, managing director and chief executive of Maruti Suzuki India, said this type of
violence has never happened in Suzuki Motor Corp's global operations in Hungary, Indonesia,
Spain, Pakistan, Thailand, Malaysia, China and the Philippines. Nakanishi apologised to
affected workers on behalf of the company, and in a press interview requested the central and
Haryana state governments to help stop further violence by legislating decisive rules to restore
corporate confidence amid emergence of this new 'militant workforce' in Indian factories. He
announced, "we are going to de-recognise Maruti Suzuki Workers' Union and dismiss all
workers named in connection with the incident. We will not compromise at all in such instances
of barbaric, unprovoked violence." He also announced Maruti plans to continue manufacturing in
Manesar, that ​Gujarat​ was an expansion opportunity and not an alternative to Manesar.
The company dismissed 500 workers accused of causing the violence and re-opened the plant
on 21 August, saying it would produce 150 vehicles on the first day, less than 10% of its
capacity. Analysts said that the shutdown was costing the company 1 billion rupees ($18 million)
a day and costing the company market share. In July 2013, the workers went on hunger strike
to protest the continuing jailing of their colleagues and launched an online campaign to support
their demands.

A total of 148 workers were charged with the murder of Human Resources Manager Avineesh
Dev. The court dismissed charges against 117 of the workers. On 17 March 2017, 31 workers
were found guilty of a variety of offences. 18 were convicted on charges of rioting, trespassing,
causing hurt and other related offences under Indian Penal Code sections. The remaining 13
workers were sentenced to life in imprisonment after being found guilty of the murder of General
Manager of Human Resources.

The incident is the worst-ever for Suzuki since the company began operations in India in
1983 and one of the most heinous of industrial crimes in the history of India.
Demands of workers-

monthly conveyance allowance of 10,000, laundry allowance of 3,000, a corporate gift with
every new car launch, and a house for every worker who wants one or cheaper home loans for
those who want to build their own house. In addition to this compensation and normal
weekend/holidays, the union demanded the current four paid weeks of vacation be increased to
7 weeks, plus each worker to have 40 days of sick leave and casual leave amounting to 75
days.

Causes of the Strike

According to the Maruti Suzuki Workers Union, a supervisor had abused and made deriding
comments on a low-caste worker,Maruti said that the dispute was not over wage discussions,
but after the workers’ union demanded the reinstatement of a worker who had been suspended
for physical violence on a supervisor.
The workers claim harsh working conditions and extensive hiring of low-paid contract workers
who are paid about 9731/- per month, which works out to half the minimum wage paid to
permanent employees.Also a local labour leader demanding the right to establish an alternative
labour union due to non alignment of a large section of workers with the existing union. The
problem was solved in a rather sneaky way by the management by sending off the leader and
twelve others with a Golden Handshake scheme which lacked transparency.

Difference in pay & Less Hikes

Harsh working conditions
Focus on Hiring low paid contract workers
Wage disparities
Culture Difference
Lack of Communication between managers and workers
Lack of bonding between workers & union ,management & union,management & workers.
Trust Issues
Workers’s perception and indiscipline
● Demonstration of the policy
● Promoting the improved condition
● Employee Labour Relationship should have been
maintained
● Good Conduct Bond” Retention of Employees
● Regular Meetings
● Demand for a new union can be fulfilled if the union is
not politically influenced.
● Management’s Approach
● Treat workers in the factory as humans.
● Grievance Redressal committee should be set up