Toyota standoff: Talks to end deadlock fail

The renewed talks between Toyota Kirloskar Motor management and employees union to end the deadlock over labour issues at two plants near Bangalore have failed.

"The renewed talks have failed, suspension of thirty labourers is the contentious issue," Additional Labour Commissioner J T Jinkalappa told PTI.

To a question, he said: "The next step will be that we will have to prohibit the lockout, we will take that decision in a day or two, first we will have to submit the report to the government after that the decision will happen."

Toyota Kirloskar Motor, the subsidiary of Toyota Motor Corp of Japan, had on March 16 declared a lockout, following the failure of talks between the management and the union over wage negotiations.

The company in a statement said: "We appreciate and thank the government of Karnataka for their efforts for the conciliation process between our Union and Management. Despite the Labour Department's efforts the matter has not been concluded yet."

"We now are in touch with the Labour Department for the next steps in this issue," it added.

On March 24, the management lifted the lockout but employees did not resume work as they objected to signing a good conduct undertaking as demanded by the company and pressed for withdrawal of the suspension orders.

On last Thursday, the Labour department had renewed talks in an attempt to bring both the parties to a dialogue table to end the stalemate.

"Talks have failed, the management is adamant on its stand. We want suspension of thirty workers to be withdrawn. We had even said that if company agrees for the withdrawal of suspension we are ready to sign the undertaking on the representation of the union (not on individual basis) with some alteration on conditions mentioned in it," Toyota Kirloskar Employees Union President Prasanna Kumar said.

"We will wait and see what government will do. Labour department officials have told us they will submit a report to Additional Chief Secretary labour department," he said.

Kumar also pointed out that relay fast by union employees as a mark of protest has entered 14th day. The union is demanding a wage hike of Rs 4,000 as against Rs 3,050 proposed by the management.