The State Government has decided to cancel registration of trade unions at the BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (BATL).
Chief Minister Oommen Chandy announced the decision after a special meeting of the State Cabinet held late on Thursday night.
ANTONY BARBS
This comes close on the heels of the criticism directed at the Government by Defence Minister A.K. Antony at a public function held at BATL on Wednesday.
Antony had taken exception to the apparent of failure of trade unions in observing restraint expected of them while being employed at BATL, a defence undertaking.
According to sources, he expressed displeasure over how this should have escaped the attention of the Congress-led ruling coalition in the State.
The Defence Minister had also castigated the State Government for not taking active interest in working with him to bring defence-related investments to his home State.
This was quite unlike his experience with the previous Left Democratic Front Government, which came in for high praise from Antony.
MASSIVE RESPONSE
The Defence Minister’s barbs directed at the Government have since elicited massive response for and against from the public as well as partners in the ruling collation.
It is in this context that the State Cabinet met on Thursday night to review the situation.
The Chief Minister stated that trade unions at the BrahMos facility had failed to adhere to the practices followed at defence undertakings.
He recalled that the State president of the pro-Congress Indian National Trade Union Congress had himself disowned its unit at BATL.
Communist Party of India-led All-India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) was the other trade union of some strength at BATL.