India will be allowing carmakers in Chennai to keep operating, the state government said on Saturday. Meanwhile, workers are protesting over the work permit as concerns about health arise amidst the worsening COVID-19 cases in the country.
Compared to other countries in Asia, COVID-19 in India is having it worse. Noted from Reuters, the southern state of India records over 30,000 of average cases in a day. Due to the situation, the government has called a near-total lockdown.
This, however, changed on Saturday as the government dropped the order to allow operation in industries, including vehicle manufacturers while practising social distancing measures. In addition, the government urged carmakers companies in India to vaccine all their employees within a month.
India: labour unions vs the government
Authorities in Tamil Nadu have been speeding up vaccination. Carmakers-organized vaccination drives further boosted the vaccination program in India.
Labour unions revealed that there have been hundreds of workers in and around Chennai hurt by COVID-19. After protest over unsafe working conditions by workers, several carmakers plants was shut this week. Amongst the plants are those owned by Ford Motor Co and Hyundai Motor Co. Similarly, Renault-Nissan also halted operation after workers threatened to boycott work. Royal Enfield’s Eicher Motors, on the other hand, shut its three units due to safety concerns.
Currently, union sources at Hyundai, Ford and Renault-Nissan are reportedly in talks with the companies over the order.
Quoted from Reuters, a senior union leader at Hyundai voiced, “We’re scared about working. The company is citing government orders and asking us to report for work. The government needs to think about the welfare of workers”.
Tamil Nadu’s government also gave a permit for units near Chennai to proceed with export orders. This includes construction and mining equipment maker Caterpillar Inc and Taiwan electronics manufacturer Foxconn. Accordingly, the order allows these companies to operate their plants with half of their worker capacity.
In accordance with this, global carmakers company residing in Chennai promised to prioritize the safety of their workers by abiding by social-distancing protocols.
Renault-Nissan India’s managing director, Biju Balendran, said, “Health and safety of our societies, partners and employees is our topmost priority”.
Read also: Apple to Expect Low Production As COVID Strikes India
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