Powerloom Owners Withdraw Strike
Powerloom owners have agreed to withdraw their strike from August 17 and adequate police protection will be provided to them by the Coimbatore and Tirupur district police to run power loom units in Karumathampatti and Somanur areas, a release from District Collector, P. Umanath here has said. A total of 55,000 looms run by 6,765 loom owners are employing nearly 1 lakh employees in Somanur, Kannampalayam in Sulur block in Coimbatore district and at Palladam, Avanashi, Mangalam, Velampalayam, Thekkalur and Perumanallur areas in Tirupur district.From September 15, 32 per cent increase in wages is being given for Somanur variety of power loom products and 27 per cent for other varieties as wages to the workers according to the agreement reached on August 28, 2008. Under such circumstances, looms that worked for wages as job units (not manufacturing textile products) went on strike from August 5, 2009 citing payment of wages lesser (15 per cent as a fallout of recession) to what was agreed to. Even the loom owners who produced textiles (not running their looms for wages as job unit) extended support from August 10, 2009.
The District Administration made it clear that wages will have to be paid as per the proceedings issued on September 28, 2009 and there should not be any cut in wages. Loom owners who are into textile business had pointed out that they had joined the strike from August 10 only on the basis of request made by the looms that worked for wages. Considering the situation and various circumstances these textile producing loom owners have agreed to withdraw their strike and run the looms with effect from August 17.
In order to thwart trouble by the other section of the loom owners who run their unit for wages, district police in Coimbatore and Tirupur have been asked to provide police protection to the units as well as the workers therein. In the event of any trouble for power loom units that resume working, stringent legal action will be initiated against those causing trouble, Dr.Umanath said.
