Weavers demand better wages

19 Jan '11

2 min read

Over 30,000 powerloom units remained closed on January 18. The law and order situation remained tense in Sayan, Varachha, Kapodara as well as Katargam areas of Surat and most of the textile mills were compelled by the agitating workers to close down in Pandesara on the second consecutive day of the agitation.

The workers from the textile industrial belt of Surat had called an agitation on the issue of wage hike. The agitation took off from Sayan last week and then reached the other industrial agglomerations of Surat. Around 1,000 powerloom units in the industrial belt were compelled to shut down by the workers demonstrating on January 17.

Several thousand workers gathered in various industrial agglomerations and they took out rallies in support of their demands. The agitating workers have been demanding wages at par with the wages that are earned by the workers in other industries in Surat. The workers also demanded that they should be paid on the basis of the length of the fabric which they weave. The ongoing agitation does not have the support of any association or committee.

Textile workers generally earn between Rs 5,000 and Rs 6,000 every month. These workers have put forward their demand that their wages should be raised by 50 paise per metre so that they can earn Rs 7,000 to Rs 8,000 every month. Besides, the workers working in these unregistered textile units do not enjoy any labor welfare benefits.

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India

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