Karnataka Chief Minister Yediyurappa to hold talks on Monday to resolve Toyota deadlock

Chief Minister BS Yediyurappa will meet the management of Toyota Kirloskar Motor (TKML) on Monday raising the prospect of an early solution to the month long deadlock arising from a workers strike at the 432-acre facility near Bengaluru.

Toyota Kirloskar Motor vice chairman Vikram Kirloskar will lead the automaker in the talks. Labour Minister Shivaram Hebbar and Industries Minister Jagadish Shettar will be part of the meeting.

“We are confident some clarity will emerge from the meeting since the chief minister himself has offered to intervene to resolve the issue,” Hebbar told ET.

An executive at the TKML said the management will brief the chief minister about the strike and update him about the latest developments ahead of pursuing further legal action to restore normalcy at the factory.

If the issue remains unsolved even after the chief minister’s intervention, the government may order prosecution of all those union leaders, who have instigated the strike, to break the logjam. The government had directed both management and the employees union to resolve the issue by December 7, a suggestion that it will resort to legal action otherwise.

An order by the Labour department sanctioning prosecution would mean legal action against those who obstruct the manufacturing activity at the factory as the government has already restrained the management from declaring a lock-out.

Once the government issues sanction for prosecution, the management would give a brief window for employees to report at work. Those who defy the government order and abstain from work will face summary dismissal, a source briefed on the matter told ET.

The TKML Workers Union has been on a strike seeking revocation of the suspension of 40 employees as well as other reliefs.

The auto plant has been letting in only those workers who furnish an undertaking committing to abide by the workplace discipline. The automaker has been making a skeletal production with the help of supervisory staff and a small section of the workforce. For operations to run smoothly and effectively, a minimum workforce of 90% in each shift is required, the company had said in an earlier statement.