Ford India employees union looks for Govt intervention

The employee union at Ford India, which has recently been formed, wants the government to intervene to initiate union's negotiations with the car maker.

The union has sent a letter to the Deputy Commissioner of Labour requesting him to take necessary action so that Ford India starts negotiations with it, said Ford India Employees Union general secretary A. Satish Kumar, in a statement given to a leading news agency. Mr Kumar added that the union came into existence a month back and the company was informed about the same through post.

On the other hand, the company has stated that the open dialogue between employees and management has always been encouraged by Ford India. The company is happy that the partnership among all employees contributes to its growing success. The statement also adds that the company prefers to keep the employee-management discussions internal so that their confidentiality can be respected.

This is not the first time when Ford India workers have formed a union, as in the year 2003, an employees union was formed at the company, though it was not registered with the Labor Ministry. Ford India has around 3,000 employees at its Maraimalai Nagar plant from where it has recently started exporting engines to the Thailand market. The company is in the process of recruiting another 1,000 employees at this plant in a bid to start a second shift to catch-up with the rising demand for its recently launched compact-hatch-back Figo in India.