Violence erupted at the Vivo mobile phone factory in Greater Noida on Tuesday evening after the company’s management sacked over 60 workers without giving any notice, the Hindustan Times reported. Media reports, however, differed over the number of employees dismissed. News 18 reported that around 20 workers were fired.
The incident started after a guard allegedly slapped a worker who had asked about his job status, the English daily reported. Soon after, around 100 workers staged a protest against the company. Some of the workers allegedly broke the windowpanes of the cell phone assembly units and other parts of the factory building.
The police were called to diffuse the situation after a few workers clashed with the security guards. Some of the workers were reported to have suffered minor injuries.
“With continuous growth and strategic review, we look at staffing the right size in various divisions to improve productivity,” Vivo’s official statement said. “The layoff is in line with this business decision. We have strictly adhered to the rules and regulations, and the contract, and are taking all the right measures to ensure a peaceful transition keeping their best interests in consideration.”
Vivo has sacked over a thousand workers since the last week of May, the English daily reported. One worker told the Hindustan Times that Vivo had hired a number of workers at the beginning of the Indian Premier League in April and fired them immediately after the season concluded.
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