Hero MotoCorp casual workers at Gurgaon resist move to shift

New Delhi: Tension is brewing at the Gurgaon plant of the country's largest two-wheeler maker Hero MotoCorp with casual workers in the spare parts division of the factory resisting move by the firm to shift them to a new facility at Neemrana in Rajasthan.

According to sources, they have rejected offer from the company to transfer them to the new Neemrana facility at a lesser wage as compared to the Gurgaon plant.

"The casual workers at the spare parts division here have been asked to either accept transfer to Neemrana plant at much lower wage compared to what we are getting here or take compensation and quit the company," said an affected worker, who asked not to be identified.

The worker claimed that the average salary of the casual workers in the division is around Rs 11,000 per month and they were "being offered around Rs 5,000-Rs 6,000 a month" on transfer to the Neemrana facility.

There are close to about 500 workers in the division.

Last evening, police had to intervene to disperse the casual workers in the division who were protesting against the company's move.

When contacted, a Hero MotoCorp spokesperson said: "We are currently in discussion with the workers at our Parts Center, Gurgaon for a smooth transition from the existing facility to the new state-of-the-art Global Parts Center (GPC) at Neemrana. We are hopeful of reaching an amicable solution at the earliest."

Hero MotoCorp had made an initial investment of Rs 160 crore in setting up a global parts centre spread over 35 acres at Neemrana.

The company is also set to commission its fourth manufacturing plant at Neemrana where it has invested around Rs 400 crore. Its total installed production capacity will reach over 7.65 million units per annum with the commencement of the plant.

At present, Hero MotoCorp has three manufacturing facilities -- at Gurgaon and Daruhera in Haryana and Haridwar in Uttarakhand -- with a total capacity of 6.9 million units annually.

PTI