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Attack on workers at Amtek Siccardi India Ltd. (ASIL), Manesar
on 6
June 2006
Overview on company structure
According to the company website (www.amtek.com) the Amtek Group
of Companies is a $650 million globalauto component company with 25
manufacturing facilities in Asia, US and Europe. It is the largest
flywheel ring
gear manufacturer in the world. It is a tier 1 supplier to major
auto makers around the world.The company started manufacturing in
Sohna, India in 1987. Forging operations in Gurgaon started in
1993. In1997 a joint-venture with the Japanese company Benda Kogyo
Limited was forged. Since then Amtek bought ormerged with various
medium-sized (European) automobile suppliers, starting in 1999 with
the collaboration with
Ateliers de Siccardi of France.
In 2006 Amtek has about a dozen plants in the Gurgaon area and
the international group consist of, amongstothers: Amtek Gears
Inc., located in Bay City, Michigan (USA); Amtek Aluminium Castings
UK Ltd., GWK AmtekLtd. (UK), Lloyds (Brierley Hill) Ltd. (UK),
Midwest Mfg. Co. (US), Sigmacast Iron Ltd. (UK), Zelter
Gmbh.(Hennef, Germany).
Amtek supplies parts to many automobile companies, for example:
Ashok Leyland Limited, Aston Martin, BajajAuto Limited, BMW, CNH
Global, Eicher Motors Ltd., Escorts, Fiat India, Ford, General
Motors, Hero Honda,
Hindustan Motors, Honda Scooters, Hyundai, Jaguar, John Deere,
JCB, Kawasaki, Land Rover, Mahindra &Mahindra, Maruti Suzuki,
MG Rover, Piaggio, Saab, Scania, Tata Motors, Toyota, and Yamaha
Motors India.
Chronology of the DisputeIn hindsight it is difficult to trace
the reasons for why on the 6th of June 2006 about 20 permanent
workers andCITU union members got beaten up by paid goons or, as
other sources say, by workers hired through contractors
on the behalf of the management. Though the underlying reason
for the attack is a longer dispute between themanagement of Amtek
and the CITU union representatives, some elements of the dispute
might have been on arather personal level (some union members got
dismissed for allegedly not paying their company phone bill,
etc.).Central to the incident is the fact that Amtek, a huge
international automobile company, uses this kind ofrepression in
order to enforce discipline at the workplace. Some characteristics
of the dispute question certain
union forms of struggle: the union having to get engaged in
struggles (and risking workers being beaten up) inorder to defend
or re-instate their official leaders; the complete division if not
hostility between permanent workersand workers hired through
contractors; the use of the media in order to create pictures of
martyrs. We give ashort chronology of the incident.
Events leading up to June 6th:
On 14 April 2006, two workers of ASIL had a scuffle outside ASIL
premises on the road near Denso (another
auto part supplier) regarding a private matter of money loaned
to some workers who worked as casuals at ASIL.This happened as they
were coming to duty. The casual workers went to the company and
reported this incident.Thereafter, ASIL gave a verbal notice to two
workers, transferring them from the Manesar unit to an Amtek unit
inGurgaon. Not having received a written notice, both workers
showed up for work at the Manesar unit and werenot allowed to enter
the gates. According to the workers the transfer was legally
incorrect, amongst other reasons
because no written notice was given. When both workers were not
allowed to enter the gates of ASIL atManesar, the ASIL union (CITU
affiliated) protested the matter.Since 24 April 2006, 20 of the
permanent workers were asked by the management to sit in the
conferenceroom/reception area and not allowed to enter the factory.
They went to the Labour Office (LO) and to themanagement four times
but management refused to compromise.
On 18 May 2006 there was a meeting with the Deputy Labour
Commissioner (DLC) and an agreement wasreached. However, when the
workers reported to work the next day on 19 May 2006 they were
still not allowed togo in. So the workers went back to the DLC, who
sent them to the LO, but still there was no agreement.On 5 June
2006 there was another meeting with the DLC with management and
union representatives where Mr.
Vikal, Personnel Manager, told the DLC and workers that
management would broker an agreement the next dayand asked the
workers to meet them at 5:30 pm in the conference room/reception
area.
The incident on June 6th:
When the workers showed up for the meeting on the 6th of June
2006, the gates of the factory were locked andtwo vehicles filled
with goons were allowed to enter the factory premises; these goons
encircled the ASIL workersand finally beat them up using saria and
crank shafts that are manufactured at the plant itself. About 22
workershad to be sent to hospital.
One unionised worker reports in a conversation on the 7th of
June 2006 that four local (Gurgaon) workers whogot hurt had
previously been targeted by management. Management has even asked
the union to expel him as amember, so that management could then
dismiss him from work.
