Work resumes at Mahindra’s Igatpuri plant as workers end stir

Work resumed at Mahindra & Mahindra's engine manufacturing facility at Igatpuri, near Nashik, today after the management agreed to reinstate two suspended employees.

Workers belonging to the Shiv Sena-affiliated Bhartiya Kamgar Sena (BKS) have been on a `tool-down' strike for the past 13-days over suspension of two employees, including a union leader.

Around 1,600 employees, including contract workers, went on strike from 9 April over the suspension of union leader Sunil Yadav and another worker.

''The employees have called off the agitation and work at the plant has resumed from 11 am,'' Bhartiya Kamgar Sena president Suryakant Mahadik said.

The plant, which manufactures engines for Mahindra's vehicles such as XUV 500, Bolero, Xylo, Genio and Maxximo, has a capacity to produce 1,100 engines per day in three shifts.

The company management accepted the union's demand for reinstatement of suspended workers after Shiv Sena president Uddhav Thackeray had a meeting with Pawan Goenka, president of automotive and farm equipment division of Mahindra group.

Thackeray later called a meeting of the union committee at 'Matoshree' in Mumbai and asked them to withdraw the agitation.

The management also agreed to withdraw proceedings in charges against the suspended workers, he said.

The strike, which began on 9 April, has caused production stoppage for about 11 days, including two weekly off-days and an estimated loss of around 8,000 engines, according to the union.

M&M, however, did not corroborate the figures.