MSEU has sought registration from the Haryana government. The body says it is the ‘real representative’ of the workers at Manesar and have nothing to do with the company’s current union body Maruti Udyog Kamgar Union (MUKU).
MSEU general secretary Shiv Kumar told TOI that workers at Manesar will not participate in the July 16 union election process and MSEU has informed this to Maruti’s management as well as to the Labour Commissioner of Haryana.
"We will boycott as we have nothing to do with this election process. We feel that this is just an exercise for the Gurgaon plant and Manesar does not require elections at all since we are the workers representative body here," Kumar said.
Kumar added that most of the workers at the Manesar plant were with the MSEU and there was no question of the MUKU making any inroads in the Manesar plant.
The company is also in no mood to relent after suffering heavy losses due to the agitation last month. Maruti Suzuki chairman R C Bhargava said elections would be held for "both the plants" and those who win will represent the workers of "both Gurgaon and Manesar." "We are the same company—Manesar and Gurgaon—and they are not independent entities." However, Bhargava clarified that the management does not have any role in the election process.
A company spokesperson was more rigid in the approach towards the rebels. Insisting that the election process will also be held at Manesar, he replied with a curt "no sir" when asked whether Maruti management was ready to recognize the MSEU. The spokesperson also said that the company has no intention of initiating any talks with the rebel body. The spokesperson refused to confirm whether the company had received any boycott notice from the rebel body. "I am not aware of this… but the stand is that elections are being held on schedule and eligible employees are free to participate."
The peace formula after the strike had skipped the contentious issue of a new union formation at Manesar and also about the entry of outsider representatives on the workers body. The issue was left open and now can resurface again if the rebels continue to ignore the union elections and the company does not listen to their views.