Workers of Hero MotoCorp’s suppliers in Haridwar go on strike; Production unaffected

Labour trouble seems to have hit Hero MotoCorp, albeit not directly, but in the form of striking workers at two important suppliers’ factories in Haridwar. The workers of Rockman Industries and Satyam Auto are striking, with their main demands being higher wages and the right to form trade unions. Hero MotoCorp’s production though has not been effected, according to the two wheeler maker’s spokesperson.

2012 Hero MotoCorp Super Splendor

Hero MotoCorp has a 2 million per year two wheeler facility in Haridwar, alongside which numerous ancillary makers supplying parts to Hero exist. The Hero MotoCorp plant at Haridwar makes the brand’s top selling products, the Splendor and the Passion range of motorcycles, two products which have been instrumental in making the two wheeler maker a world leader. While production has not been affected currently, the strike, if it continues could most certainly lead to disruption in production if Hero MotoCorp does not manage to secure alternate sources of supply soon.

Labour trouble has been a constant bother for both two wheeler as well as car makers in the past couple of years with constant production outages being the result of these agitations. In most cases, the right to form unions and wage disparities have been major reasons for these strikes by agitating workers. The country’s largest car maker, Maruti Suzuki faced plenty of labour trouble right from the middle of last year. Similarly, General Motors India too had a few difficult moments with labour issues.

2012 Hero MotoCorp Passion XPro Executive Commuter Motorcycle

2012 Hero MotoCorp Passion XPro Commuter Motorcycle

Weeks ago, workers of Suzuki Motorcycle India had been threatening to strike work. So, this is increasingly turning out to be a pressing issue across the Indian automotive industry and perhaps, it is now time for the Indian government to step in and appoint a regulatory body focusing on labour relations exclusively for the labour intensive automotive sector.

Via TheEconomicTimes