Employers' Federation of Southern India writes to Jayalalithaa on 'militant' labour union

CHENNAI: The Employers' Federation of Southern India (EFSI), the oldest body representing companies from diverse sectors, has appealed to the Tamil Nadu Chief Minister J Jayalalithaa to act against the New Democratic Labour Front (NDLF), which it says has been unleashing violence and causing unrest in the State's industrial belts.

In a letter to Jayalalithaa, EFSI has also asked the Government to hasten its plan to set up a specialised police force for industrial security. The request comes less than a fortnight after violence inside Maruti Suzuki's car plant in Haryana claimed the life of a general manager, sparking national outrage.

The EFSI letter, a copy of which was made available to ET, said, ""Some members of the Federation have been facing continued violent activities and consequent unrest created by vested interest groups in Sriperumpudur, Maraimalainagar, Hosur and some other areas."" Further, it said, ""EFSI has been receiving continuous inputs from various members regarding the activities of a particular militant trade union, which seems to be interested more in propagating their political ideology and destabilisation of state institutions.""

It also said acts of vandalism will hurt the industrial climate.

The federation has also sent Jayalalithaa a report on NDLF, based on inputs received from member companies. "It is not only Indian industrial entities that are affected by this group but also certain multinational companies," it said.

EFSI and the CII have already discussed this issue over a number of closed-door meetings in recent months.

This was brought to the fore earlier this month when ET wrote on how the industry in the State is trying to come to grips with the startling internal discovery that fringe militant trade unions have incognito established a foothold in key industrial belts.

Late last week, Mohan Pyare, the State principal secretary, labour and employment, said, "The Tamil Nadu Government is aware of the militant activities of labour in some of the industrial belts and it is closely watching the situation." He had also said, "We have received complaints from employers. We are also pro-actively taking action against those indulging in violent activities."