The Hindu Business Line : Bid to lift lockout at Kerala Apollo Tyres unit

Kochi, Aug. 28 In a bid to lift the lockout and resume production at the Perambra unit of Apollo Tyres near here, discussions were held on Wednesday between the representatives of the management and labour unions in Thiruvananthapuram in the presence of the Kerala Labour Minister, Mr P.K. Gurudasan, and the Labour Commissioner.

It was decided to resume the meeting in Kochi on August 31, management sources said.

Meanwhile, the unit, which employs 2,500 regular workers and over 1,500 contract workers, continues to suffer a production loss of Rs 5 crore a day while the Government is losing Rs 70 lakh a day by way of excise duty.

The Minister and the Labour Commissioner met the representatives of the trade unions and management to take the dialogue forward. The representatives of the management said that they were hopeful of a solution emerging at the next meeting.

While the trade unions have demanded lifting of the lockout as the prime pre-condition during the talks, the management has stuck to the stand that the three outstanding issues that resulted in the lockout should be addressed forthwith.

The issues put forth by the management were reducing the shift idle time by increasing the capacity from 280-318 tonnes a day through an injection of a Rs 15-crore investment, ensuring changes in the batch weight on account of the high price of natural rubber, crude and crude-based raw materials and changes in the curing cycle.

The Perambra unit of Apollo Tyres is estimated to have suffered a production loss of close to Rs 60 crore since the lockout was declared and the Government Rs 8.4 crore by way of excise duties.

More Stories on : Trade & Labour Unions | Tyres | Kerala

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