Workers strike at Royal Enfield factory near Chennai  

Three months after Eicher Motors announced the resumption of production at the troubled Oragadam plant near Chennai ending a 50-day stand-off, workers at the factory have resorted to a strike again on February.

The strike comes at a time when Royal Enfield is ramping up production of two new models – Interceptor 650 and Continental GT 650 – launched recently. Both models are launched in India and overseas markets.

“It is unfortunate that a certain section of our workforce has resorted to an illegal strike at our Oragadam plant in Chennai despite the company’s best efforts and positive intentions. We have been working closely with our workforce and have undertaken various constructive and confidence-building initiatives. Currently, a majority of the workforce continues to report for work at the Oragadam plant,” the company said in a statement.

The previous strike resulted in a production loss of nearly 30,000 units for the niche bikemaker. Production of the 650 twin bikes was to be raised to 5,000 units a month by end of March as against around 2,500 units at present. Waiting period on both the bikes have stretched to six months.

“Our other manufacturing facilities, including our plants at Vallam Vadagaland and Tiruvottiyur, continue to remain fully operational. We are focused on resolving all issues in an amicable manner while keeping the best interests of the organization and our workforce in mind,” Eicher Motors said.