Chain reaction: Asarwa Mills workers too call strike

Decline signing any agreement for interim relief offered by the Company

Just a day after Ashima, it is now Asarwa Mills that saw over 600 of its workers calling strike on Friday. This is the second such textile mill in Ahmedabad to have suffered labour unrest in two consecutive days since Thursday.

"We are joining workers of other textile mills in strike and have demanded a flat 40 per cent hike in our wages," said Dinesh Patel, leader of the striking workers at Asarwa Mills which manufactures cotton and man-made fibre yarn at its plant in the Asarwa are of Ahmedabad.

On Thursday, as many as 1,500 workers abstained from work in the first and second shift at Ashima's textiles plant in Khokhra area in Ahmedabad. Subsequently on Friday, workers at Asarwa refused to join work in both first and second shifts. While company officials were unavailable for comment, Patel added that the workers will go on an indefinite strike till their demands are met. What's more, strikes at Ashima and Asarwa come at a time when other major mills under Ahmedabad Textiles Mills' Association (ATMA) including Ashima, Soma Mills, and Asarwa Mills signed an agreement for interim relief of Rs 650 per month for their workers till the dispute between ATMA and Textile Labour Association (TLA) in a labour court is resolved.

"None of our representatives had signed such an agreement. It was the TLA which had signed it on our behalf and tried to convince us regarding the same. However, we will not claim the interim relief of Rs 650 per month and have demanded a flat 40 per cent hike in wages with immediate effect," Patel added. In all, 1,200-1,400 workers are employed at Asarwa Mills' spinning and weaving plant in Ahmedabad.

Earlier this month, workers at Arvind Ltd's denim manufacturing plant at Naroda had called for a strike demanding 40 per cent increase in wages. Also, on Monday, workers at Arvind's voiles division Ankur Textiles Ltd also called on a strike.

It may be mentioned here that in February this year, workers at textiles major, Reliance Industries Ltd's Naroda plant in Ahmedabad had called strike demanding 60 per cent wage hike. However, the workers had called off their strike after about a month-long strike.