Act on wage crisis in power loom sector soon, Annamalai tells govt

CHENNAI: BJP state president K Annamalai on Monday called on the ruling DMK government to swiftly address the mounting wage crisis affecting the power loom sector in Coimbatore and Tirupur districts.

In a statement, he criticised the ruling DMK government for failing to meet the legitimate demands of approximately 2.5 lakh power loom weavers, who have not received the 15 per cent wage hike agreed upon during negotiations in February 2022.

According to Annamalai, the power loom industry is a vital source of livelihood for around seven lakh people, directly and indirectly employed in the textile hubs of Coimbatore and Tirupur.

“Every three years, industry stakeholders—textile manufacturers, weavers, and district administrators—convene to revise wages. Despite repeated negotiations over the past fifteen months, the promised wage hike has not been disbursed,” he said.

The BJP leader elaborated on the severe challenges faced by the industry, including rising electricity tariffs, exorbitant rents, escalating costs of spare parts, increased labour wages, and a shortage of skilled workers.

As a consequence, nearly 1.25 lakh power loom workers have been on strike continuously, leading to a production loss of about Rs 390 crore over the last thirteen days—an average of Rs 30 crore per day—with approximately 50,000 power looms already rendered inoperative, he claimed.

Annamalai also urged the Tamil Nadu government to urgently facilitate discussions between power loom owners and industry stakeholders.

“We must act without delay to meet the genuine demands of the power loom sector, end the strike, and restore the livelihoods of lakhs of workers,” he asserted.