CHENNAI: CITU state president A Soundararajan has extended support for the striking workers of MRF's WIMCO Nagar plant near Tiruvottiyur, accusing the tyre major's management of undermining long-standing labour practices.

Addressing a large gathering of employees outside the factory gates on Monday, Soundararajan said the dispute, which began on September 11, centred on a demand that the company continue its two-decade-old practice of paying the annual medical-insurance premium upfront and recovering it in instalments. "For 20 years, the management has paid the premium in advance and deducted it over four or five months.

Now they have abruptly refused, citing a notional cost of one crore rupees. This is not a freebie. It is the workers' right," he said.

He alleged that several employees needing treatment were already in distress because of the stand-off. He argued that the management was seeking to erode the permanent workforce and bring in trainees under the central government's National Apprentice Promotion Scheme (NAPS), which subsidises 25% of their wages.

Soundararajan noted that the factory's long-standing reputation for quality was built on its permanent workers. "Customary practices cannot be discarded overnight. If management wants change, it must issue notice and obtain approval," he said, adding that the refusal to allow employees to resume duty without legal justification amounted to "forcible obstruction".

He urged the state government to intervene immediately. "The Labour Minister and officials must call the management to the table. When a company shuts down or a strike stops production, the government acts. Why this silence when management locks out workers?" he asked.