MRF plant lockout ends

Indian tyre maker MRF Ltd reports that the lockout at its factory in Kottayam, Kerala state, was lifted on the morning of June 24. Two days earlier the company informed the Bombay Stock Exchange it had implemented the lockout on account of “labour unrest in the factory.” While MRF’s own announcements do not elaborate on the issue, The Financial Express newspaper's coverage of the incident cites a union source, who explains the lockout as being the “fallout of a dispute between an employee and a supervisor over alleged unauthorised leave.” Specifically, the anonymous union source alleges the employee was not permitted to go on duty on June 18 and other workers then staged a walkout as a mark of solidarity. The plant is said to have lost around Rs220 million (£3 million) during the four days it was out of operation, the financial daily added.