Tata Marcopolo lifts lockout at Dharwad facility

Tata Marcopolo Motors Ltd, a subsidiary of Tata Motors, has announced the lifting of a lockout at its Dharwad plant and resumption of operations, in a relief to its 2,500-odd employees.

Tata Marcopolo Motors suspended operations at its Dharwad plant on 6 February following a protest staged by employees against the management.

"The management of Tata Marcopolo Motors Ltd has taken a pragmatic view of the situation and decided to lift the lockout to resume operations shortly,'' Minari Shah, head of corporate communications, Tata Motors, the parent company of Marcopolo, stated on Sunday

''We strive to carry out peaceful business in a congenial environment maintaining highest standards of safety, discipline, productivity and quality to fulfil our commitment to the well-being of all the stakeholders," the statement added.

The resumption of operations at the Tata Marcopolo plant at Dharwad has come as a big relief to the families of over 4,000 employees (direct and indirect) who had been rendered jobless since 6 February when the lockout was declared.

The resumption of ooperations at the plant was made possible by the efforts of Tata Marcopolo Karmikara Sangha, neighbouring villages, social and political leaders, eminent personalities in the area, civil and police administration besides the state's labour and industries departments.

Leaders of political parties and members of Karnataka Chamber of Commerce and Industries had also urged the government to intervene and ensure that the lock out is lifted in the interest of the overall industrial growth in the region.

Dharwad is one of the latest plants of the Mumbai-based Tata Marcopolo company which began operations in 2009. The plant supplies fully-built buses for intra-city and inter-city transportation, which include 16 to 54-seater standard and 18 to 45-seater luxury and low-floor city buses.