Workers, textile mill owners re-negotiate wage rates

Following workers' demand to match wage hikes similar to Arvind, other textile mills have begun re-negotiations for wage hikes. The textile department is yet to receive a final application from the mills regarding the revised wage rates.

"The textile mills and workers are re-negotiating over the wage rates. We believe soon they should arrive at a consensus. We are awaiting for the three textile mills to register their final re-negotiated wage rates with the labour department. So far, we have only seen Arvind register their wages with us," said MV Jadeja, deputy labour commissioner, Department of Labour, Government of Gujarat.

Sometime back, workers from Ashima, Asarwa and Soma had sought wage hikes similar to Arvind Ltd. "Negotiations are on with our employers through the Textile Labour Association (TLA). We are confident that our pleas will be heard," said Dinesh Patel, workers' union leader at Asarwa Mills.

Earlier, after a month long strike, Arvind Ltd. had entered into a wage settlement agreement wherein the wages of workers at the company's plant would go up by about Rs 1935 per month. As against this, wage hike at the other three mills amounted to Rs 1750 per month which the workers have demanded to be in parity with what Arvind has been paying.

Apparently, just when the dust seemed to have settled over wage hike issue in the Ahmedabad textile industry, AMMU had few weeks ago protested uneven wage hikes across mills in the city. Following this, the labour department has sought an explanation from Ashima, Asarwa and Soma textile mills. However, Chintan Parikh, chairman of Ashima Group denied any re-negotiations taking place as of now at the mill.

According to Chandan Sinh Yadav, president of AMMU, the union has demanded renegotiations of wage agreements to bring parity across textile mills.

"We have been seeking wage hikes that are similar to Arvind since workers on the shop floor across textile mills have been earning more or less the same in Ahmedabad," Ashok Sisodiya, worker representative at Ashima Mills had told Business Standard earlier.