Press release on joint protest held in New Delhi on Monday against Maruti chairman Osamu Suzuki for sacking of over 500 workers at Manesar plant and violation of labour laws:
A joint protest was organised by more than thirty organisations at the headquarter of Maruti Suzuki India Ltd, situated at Nelson Mandela Road, Vasant Kunj in New Delhi at 11.00am on 27th August 2012.
Hundreds of students from JNU, DU, Jamia, IGNOU and various progressive-democratic organisations, trade unions participated in it.
The protesters were not allowed to enter the premises so the demonstration demo was held outside the gate with slogans such as, ‘Osamu Suzuki Get Lost’, ‘Imperialist Agent Osamu Suzuki Down Down’, ‘Students-Workers Unity Long Live’, ‘Relase all the Arrested Workers’, ‘Take back the expelled Workers’, ‘Stop the Militarisation of the Workplace’ etc.
The sloganeering was followed by revolutionary songs. Representatives of All India Federation of Trade Unions (New), All India Students Federation, Correspondence, Inqlabi Mazdoor Kendra, Krantikari Lokadhikar Sangathan, Krantikari Naujawan Sabha, Krantikari Yuva Sangathan, Mazdoor Patrika, Mehratkash Mazdoor Morcha,, Nouroz, New Materialist, People\\\’s Union for Democratic Rights, People\\\’s Democratic Front of India, Pragatisheel Mahila Ekta Kendra, Radical Notes, Sangharshil Yuva Sangathan, Sanhati-Delhi, Students Federation of India, Students Federation India-90[JNU, Students for Resistance, United Dalit Students Forum, Vidyarthi Yuvjan Sabha, Workers Unity Trade Union spoke about the situation of workers all over India, the constitutional right of forming a union, minimum wages etc.
A memorandum was submitted to R.C.Bhargava, Chairman, Maruti Suzuki India Ltd. demanding to stop witch-hunting and repression against MSIL Manesar Plant’s workers and reinstate all expelled workers and implement the labour laws.
The demands that were raised in the memorandum by the above-mentioned organisations are:
1) An immediate reinstatement of 546 expelled workers;
2) The witch-hunting and persecution of the workers be immediately stopped;
3) There should not be any militarisation of the workplace;
4) The custodial violence against workers must be stopped and investigated;
5) The employment of all the contract workers must be secured;
6) The labour laws must be properly implemented.
The memorandum was received by the Ravi Nayar, Executive Director whob came outside the gate to ‘address’ the protestors.
When questions were asked by the workers and students about the release of the arrestedworkers, an independent inquiry regarding the 18th July incident and taking back the expelled workers he did not utter a single word except, ‘I can not say anything.
I need to discuss with my seniors’. We also asked him about the militarisation of the Workplace to which also he had no answer. When he was asked on what does he think about the caste abuses, he, going by his loyalty to imperialist agent Osamu Suzuki, said that it is your opinion.
So according to his opinion caste abuse is not casteism! And without answering any question he went back with his boggey of ‘chamchas’.
Afterwards again the protest continued with slogans and songs. And the protestors dispursed on the commitment that there will be more activities taken up in future until we get justice.