Holiday row at BATL

THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Another holiday-related row is brewing at the BrahMos Aerospace Thiruvananthapuram Ltd (BATL) with the employees charging the management with denying them a holiday on Tuesday, which was a public holiday across the state.  The unions at BATL are planning to meet the Chief Minister, the Industries Minister and the State Labour Commissioner on Wednesday to lodge a complaint. Chief Minister Oommen Chandy had declared late Sunday night that Tuesday would be a holiday in the state under the Negotiable Instruments Act in view of Food Minister T M Jacob’s death. However, members of the AITUC union at BATL said that the management had announced on Monday evening that Tuesday that BATL would function on Tuesday.  BATL was formed in 2008 by New Delhi-based Indo-Russian venture BrahMos Aerospace Private Ltd (BAPL) taking over Kerala government undertaking Kerala Hi-Tech Industries Ltd (KELTEC) for Re 1 for building missiles. The transaction has kicked up a controversy following doubts about the status of the firm.Holidays have been a cause of tension between the management and the employees before. The management had withheld one day’s wages of six employees who disregarded a BATL decision that Good Friday this year would be a working day for the firm. After the issue was brought to its attention, the Labour Department had ordered the management to pay them the day’s wages.