21 August, 2014Thanks to the commitment of the Plastic Omnium Varroc Kamgar Sangathna trade union, member of the IndustriALL Indian affiliate Shramik Ekta Mahasangh (SEM), workers of the auto parts producer employed as trainees will be granted the same rights and benefits as their colleagues on permanent contracts.
In July 2014 Plastic Omnium Auto Exteriors India Pvt. Ltd., an Indian division of the French multinational automotive supplier Plastic Omnium and workers represented by the trade union Plastic Omnium Varroc Kamgar Sangathna arrived at an amicable settlement for the company trainees. The matter is that despite of doing the same work the trainees were lower paid than their permanently employed colleagues. To revise the situation and obtain justice for the workers in June 2014 the Union submitted their Charter of Demands on behalf of the 48 trainee workmen employed by the company.
Series of meetings, discussions, dialogues were held between the union representatives and the company, which resulted in an amicable settlement. It is agreed by and between the parties that all the trainees shall be made permanent and permanent workers’ conditions shall be extended to them.
The existing settlement for permanent workers is valid for one year and next agreement applicable to all workmen shall be concluded from 1 July 2015.
During this one year, the trainees who have been made permanent shall be given monthly rise by Rs. 4,000 (50 Euros), so that their total wages shall be Rs. 12,000 (150 Euros) per month, their gross salaries with all the benefits will equal to Rs. 15,000 (185 Euros) per month. The settlement will hopefully serve a benchmark for other companies in the area.