After failed talks with the management over the unions’ demands including wage revision and other demands, over 10,000 workers of Hindustan Aeronautics Limited (HAL) in Bengaluru will go on an indefinite strike from Monday.
“As talks and reconciliation efforts with the management failed on our demands, especially wage revision, we are going ahead with the indefinite strike from Monday as per the notice we served a fortnight ago in compliance with the labour laws,” HAL trade unions’ General Secretary S Chandrashekar said.
The employee unions of the HAL have served notice to all the locations of the Defence PSU to go on the indefinite strike from October 14 with regard to settlement of wage revision effective from January 1, 2017.
The HAL said that it held conciliatory talks on Saturday and Sunday in a bid to avert the strike and offered to enhance allowance under the cafeteria system and revised rate of fitment benefit at 11 per cent among others.
“Despite the management’s concerted efforts towards bringing an amicable/early wage settlement, unions unfortunately have adopted a recalcitrant approach and did not accept the offer and decided to resort to indefinite strike; in spite of management’s appeal not to resort to an indefinite strike and resolve the issue in a spirit of accommodation,” HAL said in a release.
It said that keeping in view the overwhelming sentiment of the majority of the employees for amicable and expeditious resolution of the issues, series of meetings were held. A stock of issues were settled and a few pending issues were taken up, during the talks. The management also offered to enhance allowances under the cafeteria system and revised rate of benefit at 11 per cent.
The wage negotiation committee also informed the union about the ill-effects of resorting to any strike, it added.
The decision to launch the strike was taken up at a meeting held under the chairmanship of the Committee chief convenor Suryadevara Chandrasekhar, said the All-India HAL Trade Unions’ Co-ordination Committee (AIHAL TUCC).
The committee took stock of the situation arising out of the management’s refusal to consider the demands of the union in regard to the wage revision.
A resolution adopted at the meeting appealed to all the workmen to fully participate in the indefinite strike and make it a historical success, said AIHAL TUCC in a release.
The committee resolved that the workmen in all the HAL divisions will be commencing strike from Monday as decided earlier.