Surat textile industry suffers setback after Bihari labourers

SURAT: The country’s biggest man-made fibre industry in the city is on the verge of losing skilled and experienced migrant workers, mainly from Orissa and Bihar who are in majority, with the textile processors going on an indefinite strike to oppose the rise in the prices of natural gas.

As per the official statistics of Orissa labour department, about 1.70 lakh skilled and experienced workers from Gujarat, mainly employed in the textile industry in Surat, have returned to their native places in Ganjam and Puri in the last two-and-a-half-months.

Three months ago, more than two lakh migrant workers, mainly from Orissa, had left for their home towns due to the extended agitation by the powerloom workers over the wage hike issue. Similar situation is taking shape for the migrant workers, both employed in the powerloom and the textile processing sectors.

The textile industry is fully dependent on migrant workers hailing from northern states of Uttar Pradesh, Bihar and the eastern state of Orissa. The industry employs about eight lakh workers in the powerloom and processing sectors, out of which 80 per cent are migrant workers.

The Surat Oriya Welfare Association (SOWA), an organisation working for the uplift of Oriya workers in the city along with the government of Orissa, has presented an alarming picture of the migrant labourers working in the city’s textile sector.

“Surat in particular and Gujarat in general will lose the skilled hands from Orissa. About 1.70 lakh workers have permanently shifted to their villages in Orissa and more are likely to move out in the coming days,” said Subas Gantayat, chairman of SOWA.

Experts believe the indefinite strike by the textile processors will have a chain effect in the entire industry. The finishing of three crore metres of grey fabric per day manufactured by the powerloom weavers has come to a standstill with the textile processors going on an indefinite strike. The textile traders will not be able to get the delivery of the finished fabrics and thus there will be huge gap in the demand-supply ratio.

“Industry is facing 30 per cent labour shortage for the past one year. After the workers’ unrest in January-2011, most of the Oriya workers are yet to return,” said Mahesh Patel, a powerloom weaver operating at 50 per cent capacity.

K S Gill, deputy labour commissioner, told TOI, “The strikes and agitations in the industry are creating a big impact on the socio-economic status of the migrant workers. Most of them want to return to their native places in search of alternative jobs. We have warned the processors to disburse daily wages to the workers or else face stringent action.”

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