TIRUPPUR: The Coimbatore and Tiruppur District Job-Working Powerloom Weavers Association’s general body was held here on Tuesday and they decided that they will begin an indefinite strike from Wednesday morning to demand a wage hike.
S E Boopathy, Association president, said, “Around 2.5 lakh powerlooms are operating in Tiruppur and Coimbatore districts. Though these, about 1.25 crore metres of fabric are produced everyday and their wage increase has been in effect every three years since 1991. However, the wage increase will be finalised through negotiation once every three years," he added.
“The last wage hike of 20-23% was decided in 2021 and that was reduced to 15% in 2022 and given for only three months. Before that, an agreement was reached in 2014,” he further said.
“Though our power tariff, building rent, powerloom spare part prices, and our work wages kept rising every year, we have been fighting for a wage hike for the last 15 months.
However, due to a lack of a proper solution to our protests, around 10,000 powerloom weavers (1.5 lakh power looms) from Somanur, Kannampalayam, in Coimbatore district, Avinashi, Thekkalur, Pudupalayam, Perumanallur areas of Tiruppur district are going to participate on indefinite strike from Wednesday morning. The state government should take immediate action on our demand.”
Meanwhile, another association known as the Tiruppur and Coimbatore Powerloom Weavers Association is insisting that wage hikes made in 2022 should be implemented.