Toyota Kirloskar Motor said it was forced to take disciplinary action against 20 more staff by placing them under ‘suspension pending enquiry’ (SPE) with immediate effect.
The auto major had initiated disciplinary action against one of its employees’ union officer bearers, followed by 39 others who were reportedly involved in disruptions that violated company rules, and decided to place all 40 of them under SPE on November 6 and 12.
“However, in the light of continued acts of misconduct and indiscipline based on preliminary evidence, the company was also forced to place another 20 members on SPE,’’ a TKM spokesperson said.
Some members have indulged in serious acts of misconduct such as abusing and threatening colleagues by going to their houses; blocking and threatening at the entry gate; indulging in activities to damage company’s reputation in media and social media, and also defaming and abusing officers of the company in public. This has forced the management to issue further orders of SPE, as per a statement put out at TKM’s factory premises at Bidadi.
“All team members hereby informed and cautioned to desist from activities of the above nature and not to indulge in any acts of misconducts, which will be viewed seriously and strict disciplinary action will be initiated against such erring Team Members,’’ said company General Manager, Employee Relations, Shreenivasa P Gotur in the statement.
TKM further clarified that SPE is neither a punishment nor a loss of a job but a standard legal measure to ensure free and fair enquiry of the misconduct of an employee by a third-party investigator, During this period, the concerned employee is eligible to receive legally-designated subsistence allowances which is a portion of his salary.
Even as the stalemate continues for almost a month now, Toyota announced the resumption of production, to ensure business continuity and support market demand, with the help of supervisory, other staff and workmen.
As a people-centric company, TKM has been at the forefront of providing a conducive working environment including competitive compensation packages, as well as unique welfare measures over and above the statutory requirements, to improve the quality of life of its workforce, claimed the Japanese carmaker.
