Maruti says month-long strike at plant ends

Maruti will not pay the striking workers for the period of the strike,spokesman said.

Maruti Suzuki,India’s top car maker,said a month-long strike at one of its plants that severely hit production ended on Saturday after workers agreed to sign discipline agreements.

Workers at Maruti’s Manesar factory in Haryana walked out on Aug. 29 after the company demanded they sign a “good conduct bond”,saying some had engaged in sabotage.

A Maruti spokesman said in a statement on Saturday it reached a “settlement” and that all workers had agreed to sign the “good conduct bond”.

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Maruti will not pay the striking workers for the period of the strike,the spokesman said,adding the 44 employees against whom it had taken disciplinary action would not be taken back.

Representatives of the workers were not available for comment.

Maruti,54.2 percent owned by Japan’s Suzuki Motor,had said it would not compromise with the workers who were refusing to sign the discipline agreement,and was steadily hiring new employees.

In June,about 800 workers went on a 13-day strike at the plant,crippling production and leading to more than $90 million in lost output.

The company did not give a figure for the production loss in the latest strike. It is due to release sales figures for September later on Saturday.