Textile workers call off strike after 9% pay hike

Neeraj Bagga

Tribune News Service

Amritsar, June 25

Textile workers today called off their strike after a pay hike of nine per cent was accepted by factory owners.

After the 11-day strike, jointly called by the Textile Mazdoor Union, All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC) and Centre of Indian Trade Union (CITU), the agitating workers lifted their sit-in at the Beri Gate Park today.

CITU state president Vijay Mishra said the decision was arrived at after a marathon meeting between labour leaders and office-bearers of Textile factory owners association was held last night.

Addressing skilled, semi-skilled and labourers at the Beri Gate Park, Mishra congratulated them for their unflinching faith in the success of their agitation.

He said the hike would provide them solace in the contemporary inflationary period.

At the same time, he announced support to the agitation of factory owners and traders against the imposition of the GST.

He said the business community, especially small traders and MSME sector operators, were scared of the GST. He called the GST “a corporate law to favour big companies”.

Thousands of skilled, semi-skilled artisans and labourers working in the powerloom sector, which is mainstay the of textile industry here, have been demanding hike to the tune of at least 25 per cent in their wages.

It has been a tradition with associations of the workers and powerloom owners to periodically hold a meeting to develop a consensus on the quantum of hike.

The previous such contract had expired on November 30, 2016. The worker unions issued a notice to powerloom industrial units for a talk for revision of wages of the labourers. However, they preferred not to respond.

Amarjit Singh Asal, secretary, Punjab, AITUC, said they were compelled to go on an indefinite strike after they thrice held strike but these failed to draw the attention of the powerloom and textile factory owners.