Workers kill HR official at Coimbatore auto parts unit

He Was Taking Efforts To Put Factory’s Ops On Track

M Allirajan | TNN



Coimbatore: The ongoing labour strife at the city-based auto instruments maker, Pricol, took a turn for the worse on Tuesday with its vicepresident (human resources), Roy J George, dying in hospital after being attacked by striking workers.



George and four of his colleagues were assaulted by some workers at the company’s Periyanaickanpalayam unit on Monday. George (47), who suffered multiple head injuries after being allegedly attacked with iron rods, died at a private hospital in the city on Tuesday.

Roy, who joined Pricol only six months ago with the specific brief to handle the labour trouble and end the strife, is survived by his wife and two daughters.



Though labour unrest has cropped up in recent times in Hyundai and some other companies, Tamil Nadu hasn’t seen militant trade unionism in a long time. The Marxist-Leninist group, which has been in the thick of the labour strife at Pricol, has been described as one which wants to achieve its goals mainly through “violent means”. The group had carried out assaults on workers keen on making peace with the management to ensure smooth running of operations, sources said.



Pricol had on Saturday dismissed 42 workers at its Kuniamuthur unit for indiscipline, saying capacity utilization had slipped to 10% as some workers were not allowing others to carry out their normal operations. “Despite constant warnings and a show cause notice, they (workers) never shaped up,” Pricol executive director Vanitha Mohan said.



Roy, an alumnus of IIM-Calcutta, was spearheading efforts to bring the operations back on track by initiating a dialogue with the agitating workers.



FATAL STRIKE

Labour strife began two years ago after Pricol transferred some workers to its Uttarakhand plant Pricol on Saturday dismissed 42 workers at its Kuniamuthur unit for “indiscipline”

Company vice-president (HR) Roy J George was initiating a dialogue with agitating workers



Roy and four colleagues were attacked by some workers on Monday. He died in a private hospital on Tuesday TIMES VIEW



Lynching managers just can't be treated on par with legitimate forms of trade union protest. Workers may have the right to protest when they feel injustice has been done to them, but they have no right to kill anyone. When a manager was similarly lynched in Noida last year, the then Union labour minister's initial reaction seemed to suggest that this distinction was lost on him and that he was almost justifying the lynching. The Tamil Nadu government must not make the same mistake in this case. Those responsible for the killing must be brought to book. Mob “justice” can't be allowed to prevail. 9 held for death of Pricol official



Coimbatore: Roy J George, vice-president (HR) of Pricol was talking to small groups, and many workers were keen on giving up the agitation. This irked the main union, top Pricol officials said.



“The workers attacked Roy using iron rods and sticks,” Coimbatore SP N Kannan said. The police arrested nine workers from the Periyanaickanpalayam unit and three workers from the Chinnamadhampalayam unit. While nine workers have been booked under Sections 302 (murder), 147 and 148 (unlawful assembly with deadly weapons with intention to cause injury) and 324 (causing injury) of the CrPC, the other three have been charged with causing damage to public property.



N Krishnamurthy, president, Kovai Maavatta Pricol Employees’ Trade Union, an estranged union of workers, is among the main accused. All the accused have been remanded in judicial custody.



The labour strife, which began after Pricol transferred a few workers to its Uttarakhand plant, has been simmering for over two years. While the company said the need for experienced hands at the new unit had prompted the move, workers alleged that a few were being targeted as they had tried to form a union.



Two unions affiliated to the All-India Council of Trade Unions went on strike in 2007 demanding recognition and withdrawal of transfer orders. The labour strife has continued ever since, impacting production in the company, which has 1,500 permanent employees and an equal number of temporary workers in Coimbatore.



About 1,000 permanent workers are associated with the union. The capacity utilization at the Coimbatore plants dropped to 33% while units in north have been operating at more than 70% of their capacities



Courtesy: TOI 23.09.2009, Chennai Edition