Trade unions in Coimbatore have appealed to the Central government to operate all the 23 National Textile Corporation (NTC) mills in the country.
In a memorandum submitted to the Standing Committee on Labour in Coimbatore on Wednesday, the unions said the NTC mills stopped production last year when the nation-wide lockdown was announced to control the spread of COVID-19. Recently, two of the seven NTC mills in Tamil Nadu resumed production.
The NTC mills in the State provide employment to about 13,000 workers and they get just 50 % of the monthly wages now. The unions said the NTC has adequate funds with it and it should start operating all the mills so that workers get full wages.
In another memorandum submitted to the Committee, former MLA M. Arumugam demanded an increase in daily wages for plantation workers in Valparai. He said while the workers in Kerala got ₹403 a day, those in Valparai got only ₹ 335.
Further, the management deducted the local tax that should be paid to the local bodies. He said the daily wage should be increased to ₹600 and there should be no deductions from it. The workers should have access to proper medical facilities and the government should construct houses for the plantation workers on its lands, he said.
