Weavers take out rally in Virudhunagar district demanding govt. to hike wages
Handloom weavers in Virudhunagar district held a rally to demand higher wages and the implementation of a promised monthly pension. They also requested government intervention to help clear their existing stock of saris and ensure a steady supply of yarn.
Why it matters
This highlights the economic vulnerability of traditional artisan sectors and the pressure on state governments to fulfill welfare promises to marginalized labor groups.
A large number of handloom weavers affiliated to various trade unions took out a rally at Sundarapandiam, near Watrap in Virudhunagar district, on Tuesday.
The agitators demanded that the government hike their wages. They also urged the TVK government to implement its election promise of providing a ₹3,000 pension to handloom weavers.
The weavers said they had been jobless and sought financial assistance of ₹10,000 each. “We have not been getting regular income as the job orders are not perennial. Hence, for the last four months, there has been literally no earnings at all,” they said.
The weavers from Ramachandrapuram and Agathapatti said the weavers’ societies and cooperative societies should be directed to procure the saris kept in stock with them. At least, if they purchased them, the goods in hand would move to the end consumers, which would ultimately benefit the weavers, they said.
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