Ford India workers and management clash over dismissal of employees

Ford India Employees Union is in a clash with the management against the decision to dismiss nine workers. Over 400 workers were detained from the bus parking area of car manufacturing plant in Chennai on Tuesday night for protesting the dismissal which they found to be too harsh for the proportion of offense, if any, according to the union representatives. When police came to disperse them at around midnight the workers refused and courted an arrest. They were let off on Wednesday evening. The union representatives also added that the union has 750 permanent workers as its members and is a registered body but the management refuses to recognize it formally.

While Ford India has confirmed in a company statement that nine employees were in fact ‘terminated’ from their services, it maintains that the decision was taken after proper enquiry which found them guilty of violating the company’s code of integrity.State Government labor department will hold a conciliation meeting on Thursday where it will act a mediator to resolve the conflict. Till then union sources said they will continue with their demonstration. However, the demonstration and protest is not likely to affect the production. The car manufacturing plant at Maraimalai Nagar, about 50 km south of Chennai on National Highway 45 where the incident took place continues to operate normally as clarified by Ford India management as well as the union.