Mumbai: Work has completely stopped at one of MRF’s oldest manufacturing units in Tiruvottiyur, Tamil Nadu, after about 800 employees went on an indefinite strike. According to a report by Business Standard, the strike is mainly about two issues — the payment method for annual medical insurance premium and the hiring of trainees under a central government scheme.
Dispute Over Insurance Premium Payments
The conflict between workers and management began on September 11. As per A. Sundarrajan, the state president of trade union CITU, MRF’s management refused to continue the long-standing practice of paying the annual medical insurance premium in advance and letting workers repay it in small installments over 4–5 months. This has upset the workers. Sundarrajan said the company is now refusing to pay an amount just over Rs 1 crore, which has led to the current situation. CITU has extended full support to the strike.
Opposition to Trainee Hiring Under NAPS
Another big reason behind the strike is the company’s hiring approach. R. Jayaraman, a senior CITU leader leading the protest, claimed that MRF is now giving more preference to trainees hired under the National Apprenticeship Promotion Scheme (NAPS) instead of hiring permanent employees. He said the company benefits from government subsidies when it hires through this scheme. Despite ongoing discussions with the management, the union says there has been no positive response so far.
