Mahindra meets fired workers

Anand Mahindra, third from left, chairman of Mahindra Group, looks at the production line for the company’s newly launched compact SUV Tivoli, at its Pyeongtaek plant, Wednesday. / Courtesy of Ssangyong

By Park Jin-hai

Anand Mahindra, chairman of the Mahindra Group, spoke Wednesday with the union leader representing dismissed workers who have been calling for their reinstatement.

The surprise meeting between union head Kim Deuk-joong and Mahindra was arranged as the chairman was in Korea to celebrate the launching of its compact SUV Tivoli.

During the meeting Mahindra reiterated his stance that Ssangyong still has many more challenges ahead and that the reinstatement of dismissed workers can happen only if the Tivoli is successful and the company’s turnaround is complete.

The visiting chairman also exchanged Twitter messages with two union members who have been staging a protest atop a 70-meter chimney for more than a month at the company's plant in Pyeongtaek.

When one of the two protesting workers sent a Twitter message saying: “Let’s talk” to Mahindra, the chairman responded: “I am in the plant. I am happy to meet you.”

The union has been protesting against a recent Supreme Court ruling that a mass layoff by the company in 2009 was lawful and said they will not come down until management agrees to reinstate the 153 laid-off workers.

Prior to his scheduled visit, the two workers on top of the stack draped a placard that said “Let’s Talk,” calling for a meeting with the chairman.

Some 50 dismissed workers and their family members waited for the chairman’s arrival from early in the morning, holding a placard saying, “Mr. Anand Mahindra, negotiate with the dismissed workers in Ssangyong!”

The meeting between the management, corporate union and the dismissed workers’ union lasted for 20 minutes.

Mahindra said that he knows of the situation and asked for a common effort by the related parties to resolve the situation at the earliest possible time.

During the meeting, Kim said that it was meaningful that the chairman responded to his call for dialogue, but it was no more than that, since Mahindra did not go further into details.

“The chairman urged the workers to discuss this matter with company CEO Lee Yoo-il and find a solution. We will continue dialogue with the management,” he said.

On Tuesday, Mahindra said, “We believe in sharing prosperity. That is our philosophy of Mahindra Group. But, in order to share the prosperity, you must create it first.

“It would be irresponsible if I made a short-term decision, and reacted to short-term pressure, jeopardizing the job security of almost 5,000 people in the long run,” he added.