THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: For workers of Vijayamohini Mills under the National Textile Corporation (NTC), Onam this year has brought little joy.
Vijayamohini, one of the oldest mills in the capital, has been shut for over five years, pushing hundreds of families into hardship without wages, benefits, or festive cheer.
Established in 1945 as a public, non-government, unlisted company, it was brought under the National Textile Corporation in 1973.
On August 11, 2025, the Trivandrum Textile Workers Union (CITU) filed a complaint raising several demands of Vijayamohini Mills employees. A meeting was subsequently convened in the presence of the Regional Labour Commissioner, where the NTC management agreed to the union's demands. The Commissioner ordered that all eligible workers be paid the minimum bonus for a five-year period starting from 2019-20. However, despite this directive, the Union Textile Ministry, the Central Government, and the NTC management have yet to take a final decision on its implementation.
Workers allege that the management has failed to pay their monthly subsistence allowance for seven months, salary arrears since July 2023, and retirement benefits for the past year. "The management is adopting a policy of indifference, without even considering the demand to reopen Vijayamohini Mills," said union representatives.
The issue of bonus arrears has also dragged on for nearly a decade. In 2016, the Central Government increased the minimum bonus from Rs 3,500 to Rs 7,000, with retrospective effect from 2014-15. But NTC refused to pay arrears for that year, citing a writ petition pending before the Kerala High Court. Although the High Court has since dismissed all such petitions, the arrears remain unpaid.
The union has written repeatedly to NTC's Southern Regional Office, seeking urgent action. "While the Kerala government is extending financial support to workers of closed mills under KSTC and cooperatives, no such relief has been given to NTC workers. The Union Textile Ministry, Central Government, and NTC management must urgently act on our demands," a worker said.
For now, however, the plight of Vijayamohini workers continues, leaving their Onam marked not by celebration but by hardship.
