Textile mill workers to intensify stir for higher wages

AHMEDABAD: Underpaid textile mill workers of Ahmedabad will intensify their agitation from Wednesday seeking wage hikes and reinstament of sacked workers.

"We want the Ahmedabad Textile Mills' Association (ATMA) to nullify their decision to sack striking workers, pay Rs 1600 as an interim relief to mill workers and compensate wages since June 4.

Unless we hear from them by this evening, we will intensify our agitation from Wednesday and not relent until our demand of 40% wage hike is implemented with immediate effect," said Yashpal Jaiswal of Arvind Ltd. Jaiswal is leading the strike at Arvind Ltd that since June 4 has brought near 8000 workers on streets of Ahmedabad.

Workers claim that apart from minor revision in early part of the last decade, the industry awaits a revision since 1965. Workers take home Rs 5000 as an average monthly wage and have refused to relent to the management's call to resume work.

Arvind Ltd has terminated near 400 jobs, claims Amart Barot, leader of the Textile Labour Association, who has been nominated by the labour body to represent the workers. The strike that initially hit Arvind, has spread to Ashima Ltd and Asarwa Mills.

ATMA that represents the mills of the city has asked TLA to get signatures of 80% of its members from across these mills before it holds a dialogue with the workers. "That is just an eye-wash and a delaying tactic. The mill managements are in no mood to heed to our demands," said Jignesh Patel from Ankur Textiles (an Arvind Ltd unit).