The company in its statement issued Sunday evening stated that the last batches of 100 employees were rescued with the help of police. Yesterday, the company had similarly rescued 355 workers with the help of the police. Many of these workers had been beaten up by the striking workers.

An irked agitator from the Manesar plant told the Hindustan Times, “The company's management is spreading rumours of violence and damage to the premises to weaken our movement. We have not forced anyone to stay on the premises. Instead police personnel are threatening our workers”.

The company has indeed done a credible job and should be lauded for successfully suppressing a second strike in the last three months. However, on the flipside, one question that arises is, is the company harassing its employees?

The reason why the employees went on strike is an aspect, which has been ignored by the company officials as well as the Haryana government. Demanding a union recognised by the company does not seem to be an arduous task, but asking the employees to join their brethren in the Gurgaon Union did not make any sense to them either. Alleging that the Gurgaon union is a pocket union of the company, the workers demand a fair share for themselves as well as the employees who were sacked/suspended in the last strike. The agitation then took on a different avatar. Soon, cars that would be rolling out of the Manesar plant had its door falling off the finished products. The company then, forced the workers to sign a ‘good conduct bond’ failing, which they future in the company would seem bleak.

The company, in a meeting convened by the labour department and officials from the state government, asserted that the workers had breached the bond, and the company also sought action from the government. The agreement stated that in lieu of signing the bond, eighteen employees would be absorbed back in the company while forty four others were to be suspended.

However, for the employees there seems to be no light at the end of the tunnel as the company feels that demand for a union could also be politically backed. Maruti, in its present stage can bleed money but seems adamant to give in. So far, due to the strikes, the company has already lost Rs. 500 crore (Rs. 5 billion) in revenue.