T.N. government to address wage issues of powerloom weavers: Ministers in Assembly
The Hindu
T.N. government to address wage issues of powerloom weavers: Ministers in Assembly
Minister for Handlooms and Textiles R. Gandhi told the Tamil Nadu Legislative Assembly on Thursday (April 17, 2025) that the State government would take appropriate steps to address the ongoing wage revision issue faced by job working powerloom weavers in Coimbatore and Tiruppur districts. The weavers have been on an indefinite strike since March 19.
The Minister was responding to a special calling attention motion moved by Leader of the Opposition Edappadi K. Palaniswami, who sought the immediate intervention of the State government in the issue. He said approximately 1.5 lakh job working powerloom units are operating on a wage basis in these two districts, and that since January 2024, job working powerloom weavers have been demanding an increase in wages. With rising electricity tariffs, cost of living, and prices of spare parts, they are seeking a fair wage hike, Mr. Palaniswami said.
He also said that for the past few days, some of the protesters have been on an indefinite fast. Despite officials holding discussions, no agreement has been reached yet. As a result, the livelihood of lakhs of workers has been affected. The government should hold discussions with the protesting job working powerloom weavers and address their concerns immediately, Mr. Palaniswami said.
Listing out the steps taken by the State government for the welfare of powerloom weavers, Mr. Gandhi said after coming to power, Chief Minister M.K. Stalin had ordered an increase in free electricity from 750 units to 1,000 units bimonthly for powerlooms.
Meanwhile, Minister for Finance Thangam Thennarasu said the State government has thoroughly understood the importance of the issue and will swiftly take steps to resolve the deadlock.
Minister for Electricity, Prohibition, and Excise V. Senthilbalaji said nearly 1.63 lakh powerloom units benefited from the enhanced free electricity quota, with 1.27 lakh units registering zero electricity bills. The State government has, so far, granted ₹571 crore in electricity subsidy for powerloom units, he added.
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