Bajaj union defers strike at Chakan to 15 May

The workers union at two-wheeler maker Bajaj Auto has decided to postpone its strike at Chakan, scheduled to begin on Monday, to 15 May, saying the workers wanted to give more time to the management to decide.

The decision was taken after a four-hour meeting of union leaders at the company's plat at Chakan, near Pune. 

''We have conveyed our decision to the management,'' Dilip Pawar, president of the union, said. He said the decision was taken keeping in view the interest of employees and to grant more time to the management to consider the demands.

The employees union of the Pune-based two-wheeler maker had threatened to go on a two-week strike from Monday if the management failed to consider their charter of demands.     

The VKKS union, which is spearheading the strike, is demanding that Bajaj Auto allocate the Chakan workforce 500 shares each at Rs10 apiece and use a part of its CSR outlay for education of workers' children.

The union is also demanding that a statue of the founder, Jamnalal Bajaj, the company founder, be installed at the plant.

Bajaj Auto has rejected the demands for issue of shares and the CSR allocation outright while flaying the demand for installing the statue.

The company cited the case of the Kamalnayan Bajaj High School, in Chinchwad near Pune where a lion's share of seats is earmarked for children of the company's employees.

The company had recently offered the Chakan workforce a wage hike of up to Rs10,000 per month.

Bajaj Auto hopes the union will use the time to reflect upon and review their demands which are insane and have the support of less than 50 of the 1,350 workmen.

Meanwhile, the company had shifted production of the leading brand Pulsar to the plants in Aurangabad and Pantnagar following last year's strike.

The strike had led to the suspension of 22 workers then, but the company had since reinstated nine of them after they apologised to the management.

According to the management, one of them has ''gone back to playing mischief'', while the other 13 workers who indulged in violence are being investigated.

The Chakan plant near Pune employs about 2,000 workers, including around 900 permanent ones, and makes 1.2 million motorcycles a year, including the Pulsar and Avenger models and models under the Ninja and KTM brands.