Mumbai: Ahead of the crucial board meeting of Tata Motors next week, the group's interim chairman Ratan Tata Thursday met the employee unions from the company's biggest plants.
"We have had a long lasting, emotional relationship with Ratan Tata for over 25 years and met him today," president of Pune-based Tata Motors Employees Union Sameer Dhumal told reporters here.
Dhumal and other representatives met Tata at an office of the Tata Trusts in downtown Mumbai, but refused to share what exactly transpired.
Stating that the unions will come out with a statement outlining their stance in a day or two, Dhumal said Tata has asked them not to get distracted by the boardroom battles and continue to work for the betterment of the company, which is one of the crown jewels in the group.
Asked about their relationship with the management led by Cyrus Mistry, Dhumal restricted himself to saying that the workers have worked for the betterment of the company during the four-year stint of the ousted chairman as well.
To a query on the company's sagging domestic operations, Dhumal blamed it on the global recession.
He also declined a specific answer regarding which camp the workers support -- Tata or Mistry.
The board of Tata Motors, chaired by Mistry, is scheduled to meet on Monday to consider the company's second quarter results. However, just like other board meetings of Tata Group companies held recently, the entire focus is expected to be on the feud between Mistry and Tata camps.
Dhumal said workers respect the Tata Group's values and ethics and will continue to work towards the same in the future.
