MP textile industry opposes hike in minimum wages of workers

They say there has been a hike of 66-72% during 2008 and 2013 in minimum wages

As state government is looking to review minimum wages, textile industry in Madhya Pradesh has demanded to put stagnation on minimum wages.

"The textile industry is already under pressure due to rising prices of raw material, higher power tariff, slowdown in Europe and the United States which has adversely affected exports. If state government puts proposed higher rate of minimum wages it would further hit the industry," S Pal, chairman of Madhya Pradesh Textile Mills Association said.

The Madhya Pradesh Textile Mills Association has said there was a hike of 66-72% during 2008 and 2013 in minimum wages.

State government has proposed to raise minimum wages as high as 39% in case of trained labours with effect from October 2013.

"At present a skilled labour earns Rs 5,800 per month or Rs 223 per day, however, proposed rates would raise it to Rs 8,060 per month or Rs 310 per day," the association pointed out.

The government has also proposed to put another category of highly skilled labours who will get Rs 9,360 or Rs 360 per day. A semi-skilled labour will get Rs 6,682 per month of Rs 257 per day against existing Rs 5,650 or Rs 217 per day while a non-skilled labour will get Rs 5,564 per month or Rs 214 per day with a minimum proposed hike of 0.80%.

The association has further pointed out that most textile units run on automated machines and looms. As a result one labour can run 16-24 looms as machines are automated and shuttle-less. "State has proposed to fix minimum wages by considering cotton mills and synthetic cloth mills, it would avail nothing to industry," the association said.

According to a data (2011-12) prepared by Association, a non-skilled labour in Madhya Pradesh gets Rs 212 per day while in Gujarat the same is Rs 210.90 per day, Rs 205.44 in Haryana, Rs 189 in Rajasthan, Rs 200 in Uttar Pradesh, Rs 150 in Odissa. Only Maharashtra and Punjab pays Rs 245.71 and Rs 240.64 per day respectively.

Madhya Pradesh has 45 textile mills and most of them are export oriented. According to the association all these mills have created 310,000 combined jobs.