Some Employees At Royal Enfield’s Oragadam Plant On Strike Again

A section of employees at a manufacturing facility of bikemaker Royal Enfield at Orgadam, Chennai is on strike since Feb. 13, opposing the transfer of some of their colleagues.

According to Royal Enfield union sources, the workers kept off work from the second shift on Feb. 13 to protest the transfer of employees who were also office-bearers of the trade union. “Six people, including two women workers, have been transferred to various locations across the country. We opposed this and issued a notice that we will go on strike from Feb. 13,” union sources told PTI.

Sticking to the demand to cancel the transfer, a senior union official said a tripartite meeting was held in the presence of district labour commissioner on Thursday, but it remained inconclusive. “As of now, we are continuing with our strike and the employees on all the three shifts have joined us,” the union official claimed.

Eicher Motors Ltd., parent of the Royal Enfield brand, said the bikemaker remains committed, as always in the past, to maintaining respectful relationships with all employees. “We believe in an engaged workforce and cordial industrial relations, in creating a culture of excellence where all employees are proud of their contribution to the company,” a press statement said. “It is unfortunate that a certain section of the workforce has gone on a strike at our Oragadam plant. We have been working closely with our workforce and have undertaken various constructive and confidence-building initiatives.” it said.

Last year, a section of workers of Royal Enfield and Yamaha Motor India had struck work for more than two months since July 2018 over trade union issues, affecting production at the facility at Oragadam, a hub of automakers.