Auto sector slowdown: Workers anxious, ‘worried about next month’ as Ashok Leyland announces non working days

The contract workers at Ashok Leyland have been hit hard as the truck maker has cut down its production by shutting down its plants for 5 to 18 days in the month of August.

According to a report in NDTV, a contract worker, Murali, in Ennore plant outside Chennai which has been shut for 16 days will get just around ₹4,000 salary for September as compared to his regular pay of ₹13,000. With the help of this amount, he will just be able to pay the house rent. He has sent his 10 month old baby and wife to his in-laws, so that both can be taken good care off.

"Even with my full ₹13,000 salary I can't run my family. In this situation with just six or seven thousand I can't manage," Murali said to NDTV.

There are around 3000 workers like him who work at Chennai plant at "no work no wages" basis.

Not only the contract employees, but permanent employees too have been affected by the production cut down by Ashok Leyland. Suresh, a permanent worker's pay has already been slashed by around ₹8,000 under the sixth-day system, reported NDTV.

Suresh says that Ashok Leyland is also planning to slash allowance and incentives. Suresh has two school going children and wife to feed.

This report in NDTV quoted Suresh as saying, "We reduce taking our children to films or parks. We buy only one pack of milk instead of two. We have only one side dish instead of two. We've cut non vegetarian meals to once a week from twice. This month we have only eight days of work, sixteen days leave. We are scared about next month".

However, Jayaraman, president of the Contract Workers Association said, "The company made ₹1,983 crore profit last year. So what's the crisis, tell me? They want to keep their profits intact for themselves and their shareholders but squeeze workers".

Leyland’s combined sale dipped by 50 per cent in August with a total sale of 8,296 vehicles against 16,628 vehicles sold in August 2018.