Supplier CEO attacked and killed by laid-off workers
The Tata Nano, which will be the world's least expensive car, has already exacted enormous sums of money and time. A dispute over the location of a new factory has cost Tata close to a year of court wrangling and might end up spoiling a £200 million investment. Now the efforts to build the Nano have cost a life.Unhappy workers were invited to a meeting with Indian and Italian executives of Cerlikon-Graziano Transmissions, which makes auto parts, to discuss reinstatement. Only a few workers were in the meeting, but more than a hundred were waiting outside. When those outside heard someone inside call for help, they rushed in, and in a mob fog anger, bludgeoned the company's operations head, Lalit Kishore Choudhary, to death.
It was later reported that some of the folks involved in the melee weren't even employees of the company. What Tata will need to urgently figure out is where it needs to go -- inside or outside of India -- to build the Nano without backlash. In the mean time, our condolences go to the Choudhary family. Thanks to all who tipped in.
[Source: Times Online]
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 3)
Nassos 1:07PM (9/23/2008)
Correction:
Oerlikon-Graziano.
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Franz 1:07PM (9/23/2008)
Wow...
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DesiAuto 1:12PM (9/23/2008)
This is really sad ...
One of the protocol for companies with worker unions is to have police presence for each and every meeting where more than 50 people are expected. It seems that protocol was ignored by this company and result is the worst possible one.
http://www.ibnlive.com/news/ceo-lynching-136-held-13-booked-for-murder/74154-3.html
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pmalik 1:18PM (9/23/2008)
Still a 3rd world country if you haven't noticed...
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Torrent 1:47PM (9/23/2008)
Stuff like this can also happen in America if you haven't noticed.....
you don't have to be in a third world country to commit a crime.
J M C 3 5:06PM (9/23/2008)
Yep .Organized crime and unions go hand in hand.Unions are seeking more power from candidate Obama.
BigWill 1:30PM (9/23/2008)
So let me get this straight. Tata can't open the Nano factory because of all these protests, then when the suppliers - who no longer have a factory to supply - lay everybody off, the protesters get PO'd and kill the CEO? Geniuses. I didn't know the UAW had a 3rd world apprentice program.
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2004m3driver 1:32PM (9/23/2008)
Well everyone heard about the boss abusing workers in sweatshops. I guess it could work both ways.
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Gardiner Westbound 1:34PM (9/23/2008)
"This should serve as a warning for the managements. It is my appeal to the managements that the workers should be dealt with compassion," Union Labour Minister Oscar Fernandes said in New Delhi.
"There are disparities in the wages of permanent employees and contract workers. The workers should not be pushed so hard that they resort to whatever that had happened in Noida,” he said.
I see a boom in teleconferencing.
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ken_aisin 1:44PM (9/23/2008)
It seems like China is a better place to do business than India. At least you won't get killed like this.
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Alex 2:00PM (9/23/2008)
you'll just suffer a slow death from the pollution...
LDMAN 2:06PM (9/23/2008)
Well not exactly. You just get poisoned by the food, water, and air that you use every day. Granted. It is a slower way to go but could be as distressing and painful in the end. Heck! Even baby food is not safe over there.
RJ 3:14PM (9/23/2008)
And India's average air quality rivals that of a Intel computer chip lab, while the average household tap water is similar to distilled water...
tekdemon 6:11AM (9/24/2008)
@Alex
Are you kidding me? India's pollution is insanely poorly controlled. At least China can use heavy-handed requirements to tamp down pollution (like forcing factories to shut down for the Olympics, forcing cars off the road based on license plates, etc.) while heavily investing in and promoting cleaner technology (China now has what's likely the world's cleanest coal-based steel smelting now).
http://www.economist.com/world/asia/displaystory.cfm?story_id=11751397
So while the water source for drinking water in Shanghai may be disgustingly horribly toxic, China will throw the money at it to filter it for the drinking public, whereas in India their infrastructure is so poor and the government so weak that you're not likely to see any real improvements anytime soon.
And if you even SLIGHTLY care about health, China is leaps and bounds ahead of India. Just look at the two countries rates of HIV infection to get an idea of how the health authorities work to combat the spread of diseases. Or look at the rates of polio, malaria, TB or just about every disease that most developed countries no longer have.
China's not a clean country, but you have some serious delusions if you think it's worse than India. Go travel through both India and China-you might feel like you're in 1980's Los Angeles because of the sky in every Chinese city, but that's still about 50 years ahead pretty much every city in India.
ah b 8:36PM (9/24/2008)
No,
They would just kill everyone by place poisons in their foods!
Asian (non-indians) people are the worst everywhere! They will kill for one US PENNY!
ken_aisin 10:24PM (9/24/2008)
@ tekdemon: I traveled to India once, and I swear to God I will never ever go there again. Check out this article.
http://www.thesun.co.uk/sol/homepage/news/article1698188.ece
ken_aisin 10:28PM (9/24/2008)
@ ah b: The Asians (indians) are even worse, they kill themselves for half a penny. Just check out how much waste they pour into their own river water when they drink directly from the same river water.
Robert 1:44PM (9/23/2008)
This is dumb, Business is business every companyw ill do what they can to suceed and make money especially in the auto industry. If every employee got what they wanted then people liek us couldnt afford the cars they build. So for the people that work in those factories because life didnt turn out the way they hoped, then unfortunately you take what comes with the job, if you're unhappy then quit like most other people do in the world and not kill someone, because you're a bunch of winning children that could not get their lollipop for free. Tata shoudl move to a country that would appreciate them and offer employment. Maybe if the company succeeds there will be more money and benefits to offer.
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DesiAuto 3:05PM (9/23/2008)
Tata is already talking to other states within India.
Some dumbwits are talking as if this CEO killing is a norm. In any case, be careful before you side too close with any CEOs in the world. Most of them are interested in sucking your blood at any cost if that means helping the bottom line.
All goes in name of profit and capitalism.
216 1:48PM (9/23/2008)
Tata should open the Nano Factory here in the US...it'd sell like hotcakes and we would riot over new jobs being created...
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