TEX-FILE
Textile artisans observe strike over pay
anomalies
Upset over irregularities in pay,
textile artisans and labourers
associated with various labour
organizations including Members
of the Textile Mazdoor Ekta Union,
All-India Trade Union Congress
(AITUC) and Centre of Indian
Trade Union (CITU) conducted a
three-day strike. The protest was
organized at Beri Gate Park in
Amritsar (Punjab). The labourers
have sought an increase of 25 per
cent in their wages. These labourers
get a minimal wage from Rs. 7,000
to Rs. 8,000 per month, which is
insufficient to meet the end-needs.
According to a labour union leader,
the workers were also forced to
work in shifts of 13 to 14 hours.
They added that labour laws were
not implemented at all in this sector.
Amarjit Singh Asal, State Secretary,
AITUC said, “The association
of powerloom owners did not
reciprocate their call to hold a
meeting to discuss t he hike in
wages. So we have decided to hold a
public protest. Unions had issued a
notice to powerloom industrial units
to talk to us for the revision of wages
of the labourers, who live and work in
pathetic conditions. They preferred
not to respond and therefore, two
labour unions called for the strike.”
World Bank approves Rs. 23 crore for silk industry's
revival in J&K
An aid of more than Rs. 23 crore
has been approved by World Bank
for the restoration of a famous silk
factory, once known as the largest
silk factory in the world, at Rajbagh
in Jammu & Kashmir. This was
stated by the Minister for Industries
and Commerce, Chander Parkash
Ganga. The silk factory suffered
huge damage in 2014 devastating
flood. “The funds for the revival
of silk factory at Rajbagh have
been approved by the World Bank
under the scheme ‘Livelihood for
Composite Market Implementation
Centre for Whole Chain of Silk
Activity at Silk Factory Rajbagh
Srinagar’,” informed an official,
adding, “World Bank’s support
will enable the corporation to
upgrade the current infrastructure
for increasing silk manufacturing
capacity from 12,000 metres to
around 5 lakh metres annually.”
In separate developments related
to silk, to restore the lost glory of
Kashmir’s silk industry, Ghulam
Nabi Lone Hanjura, Agriculture
Minister and Syed Mohammad
Altaf Bukhari, Minister for
Education laid the foundation
stone for a Cold Storage Plant at
Sericulture Complex in Srinagar.
The plant will lease a new life
to the sericulture sector of the
region by increasing the life of
cocoon. Bukhari also said the silk
factory at Rajbagh will be revived
soon which will give further boost
to the industry.
www.apparelresources.com | JULY 1-15, 2017 | Apparel Online India
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