A section of workers of the U.S.-based Honeywell’s Chennai facility went on huger strike on Wednesday against the company’s decision to close the unit.
Honeywell is a global Fortune 100 software-industrial company.
The company employs close to 15,000 people across 50 locations, including Bengaluru, Chennai, Delhi, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Madurai, Pune and Vadodara.
“The company on August 11 decided to close the Chennai facility. It has been 95 days. We are against the closure. But the company is firm on its stance to close, so we went on hunger strike today,” said an employee. He claimed that around 200 jobs (direct/indirect) would be affected.
Honeywell Electrical Devices and Systems India Limited Employees Union — affiliated with the CITU — has been protesting over the closure and seeking intervention from the U.S. Embassy on the issue.
“Honeywell has decided to cease consumer manufacturing operations in Chennai, serving Europe and Middle East markets. This decision will impact less than 0.5% of Honeywell’s Indian employees,” the company’s spokesperson said in an email response to The Hindu.
He also said the company had offered employees a settlement package based on their contributions and the market rates for comparable positions within similar industries, in keeping with Honeywell’s long history in India of good jobs with good pay.