AITUC flays state government

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: The AITUC state council has flayed the State Government decision exempting BrahMos Aerospace (BATL) from the ambit of the Kerala Recognition of Trade Unions Act.  The AITUC union at BATL was the first to seek approval under the Act, which came into effect in 2010. However, the Government turned down the application after the BATL management sought an exemption.In a statement here on Thursday, the AITUC said Labour Minister Shibu Baby John’s claim that the presence of trade unions would deter Defence institutions like ISRO and DRDO from associating with BrahMos was false. The Defence Ministry has allowed the functioning of trade unions in the nine Central PSUs under it. All DRDO labs have recognised trade union activities, they said.The AITUC also said that the production at BrahMos was never disrupted owing to trade union activities. They alleged that the inefficiency of the BrahMos management had resulted in the company being sucked into a crisis.