Handloom weavers in Madurai district go on hunger strike demanding increase in wages

MADURAI: Demanding higher wages from their respective private manufacturers, handloom weavers in Madurai district went on a hunger strike here on Thursday. The weavers said their wages should be increased by 40% and demanded the intervention of the district administration to resolve the issue.

More than 500 weavers participated in the protest organised by various unions including INTUC, ATP, CITU and AITUC. The protesters said their wages were very less and that their livelihood was severely affected due to this.

Secretary of a handloom weaver association A S Raveendran alleged that they could not make a living with the wages they got. “We earn only around Rs 6,000 to Rs 8,000 per month. This is not enough to run our family. We deserve more, considering the amount of effort they put in,” he said.

Some protesters said due to very low wages, many handloom weavers were looking at alternative jobs. “Looking at our income, I don’t think any of the coming generations would want to get into this field. Ours might be the last generation that was into handloom weaving," handloom weaver Gopinath said.

The protesters said they had resorted to hunger strike since their previous petitions to both district administration and manufacturers had not evoked any positive response.