India - Alwar: Repression and struggle in Honda factory

There is immense Police pressure to evict Honda workers from in front of the Honda HQ in Faridabad Road Gurgaon where they had set up camp since yesterday evening. The pretext is the curfew and Section 144 in the entire district of Gurgaon now over the Jaat reservation issue. They have also said fresh warrants against 7 more workers have been issued.

Feb 19 Update

1) 3000 workers took part in the protest march today in front of Honda HQ in Gurgaon
2) Workers from Honda, Maruti and other factories joined the protest
3) 44 workers are in jail

Feb 18 Update

All Trade Union March to Honda HQ in Gurgaon on 19 Feb at 3pm.

Feb 17 Update

1) The entire Tapukhera area is under complete police control
2) Today morning about 1500 workers gathered in Dharuhera (since they could not enter Tapukhera) to protest. They were arrested by the police.
3) Hundreds of workers have been arrested.
4) Many, including the delegation, which went to negotiate with management, are missing.

Feb 16: Brutal lathi charge on striking workers at Honda Tapukhera plant !

report by Amit

Today at around 7 pm Rajasthan police along with company hired bouncers brutally lathi charged the striking workers of Honda plant at Tapukhera plant. The workers were continuing a sit in strike today from 2 pm. Today a contract worker was manhandled by supervisor as he refused to do forced overtime as he felt unwell. Before that, the company with an understanding with the the labour department was trying to scuttle the right workers to form the their union. 4 workers were suspended and 2 were terminated, including union president Naresh Kumar. Today as the strike took place, 2000 workers were there inside the plant. Outside the gate also there were thousands of workers. The company management dismissed 4 workers and suspended 8 workers immediately. Bouncers were called in. Huge contingent of police arrived. Worker leader Naresh Kumar and Rajpal were called by the administration for discussion. Meanwhile, the police along with the bouncers attacked the workers, chased them, brutally assaulted them and took control of the plant and the area. Hundreds of workers were seriously injured. Now the workers have gone ‘underground’ in the face of state terror and to avoid arrests. Phones are unreachable.

Enough is enough. Enough of state terror, from Maruti to Shriram Piston to Honda, from JNU to Manipur. It is time to fightback. In 2005, the brutal lathi charge on Honda workers in Manesar could not suppress the struggle. Rather, the struggle intensified in entire industrial belt and established workers rights.

Oppression is your privilege, struggle is our right. The militant struggle of workers will give the fitting reply again!

Spread the news. Stand in support. Advance the struggle.

Feb 16: Factory Occupation by Honda Workers

a report by Amit (Workers Solidarity Centre)

Workers across categories of permanent-contract-trainee-apprentice of Honda Motorcycles and Scooters India Ltd. factory at Tapukara in the Rajasthan-Haryana border in Alwar at the heart of DMIC struck work today at around 2 pm today. At present 2000 striking workers have occupied the factory and are sitting inside. Thousands of other workers in the B and C shifts have joined and are sloganeering at the factory gate. Company bouncers are threateningly at the factory gate trying to create conflict with the workers outside. The local administration is trying to intervene with increasing Police deployment to repress the workers.

In the morning today, a supervisor physically attacked and verbal abused a contract worker in the Paint shop for refusal to work overtime. This contract worker was ill because of having continuously worked over-time for last few days, but was still being forced to work over-time today, and when he protested, the supervisor caught hold of his throat and physically attacked him. This was a regular instance of normal repressive control that the management deploys inside the factory but today the workers had had enough. The collective rage of the workers erupted as the HMSI management along with the labour department tried to scuttle their year-long struggle for Right to Union formation by suspending and terminating Union leaders.

Meanwhile fellow Honda workers in the Gurgaon plant boycotted food in the afternoon in solidarity with the Tapukara plant workers, and against management intransigence at their own settlement process.

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