The percussion beats of a thappu broke the silence in villages on the city’s southern fringes with a group of women singing folk tunes to create awareness of a government notification on increased minimum wages for garment factory workers.
The caravan, carrying members of Garment and Fashion Workers Union, made a stop at villages around Chromepet, Chengalpettu and Madurantakam to campaign for the rights of the industry workers. Residents gathered on the streets as K. Anushya and her team sang ‘ Onnu Serunga ’ (be united) to the rhythmic beats of the thappu.
“Some enthusiastic villagers have joined us as we proceed to our next destination,” said Ms. Anushya, who works in a garment unit in Tambaram. The 25-member team also staged plays on different themes, from long hours of work and low wages, to sexual harassment.
Meghna Sukumar of the union said: “Instead of restricting the campaign to speeches, we adopted a lighter note to reach out to young women workers.”
Nearly three lakh workers, mostly women, are employed in over 5,000 garment units around Chennai. Most of them earn around Rs. 4,000 a month. The union president, Sujata Mody, said the campaign was organised to support women who are fighting for an increase in wages for years. Several garment units have sought an interim stay on the government notification that fixes Rs. 7,000 as the minimum wage for workers.
A signature campaign was also held and this will be submitted along with a petition to the Chief Minister to implement the notification.
