MRF declares lockout at Kottayam plant

Leading tyre manufacturer MRF today declared a lock out at their Kottayam plant following labour unrest.

In a filing to the Bombay Stock Exchange, MRF said it had declared the lock out with effect from 5 am today on account of labour unrest.

While union sources said the lockout at the plant in Vadathoor was a fallout of a dispute between an employee and a supervisor over alleged unauthorised leave, company officials when contacted by PTI declined to comment on it.

The employee was not allowed to join duty on Saturday and supporting him other workers staged a 'walkout', a union office-bearer told PTI over phone on condition of anonymity.

The plant had not been operating for the last four days and the loss was estimated about Rs 22 crore, he said.

The Kottayam plant employs about 1,350 personnel in all three shifts and manufactures tyres, tubes, he added.

MRF Tyres has seven manufacturing facilities in South India. It exports tyres and conveyor belts to over 65 nations, including US, Europe, West Asia, Japan.