Garment workers protest in Avadi over sudden shifting of factory operations

Garment workers protest in Avadi over sudden shifting of factory operations

Around 500 garment workers, predominantly women, went on strike at a private factory in Avadi on Monday (June 9, 2025), protesting the factory’s sudden announcement of closure.

The garment unit, which also has a branch at MEPZ in Tambaram Sanatorium, reportedly informed workers on June 7 that the Avadi facility would be shut down. They were told they could either transfer to the MEPZ location or resign.

Many of the women workers live in the northern parts of the city or its northwestern suburbs, and they say that the commute to MEPZ would be a challenge. “It takes nearly an hour just to get to Avadi, and it would take over two hours to get to MEPZ. The management knows this, but they only seem to want to cut us off,” a worker said.

The workers are demanding three months’ pay and settlement money, but the company has stated they cannot fulfill this request. On Monday, the workers attempted to stage a demonstration outside the factory, but police intervened and stopped them. As a result, the workers chose to sit inside the factory premises in protest.

The workers say that they should have been given a three-month notice before the announcement of the Avadi plant’s closure.