Tannery workers are facing a grim situation as they have been struggling to withdraw their Pongal bonus from banks and ATMs. The situation has reached a point of crisis in leather clusters such as Ambur as workers have been relentlessly queuing up at ATMs to withdraw cash as the festival of harvest is just a few days away.
For the leather industry that was grappling with fall in production post-demonetisation, the problem faced by their workforce is yet another blow. The industry has been facing absenteeism with workers spending hours at banks and ATMs to withdraw cash.
With tanneries depositing the Pongal bonus amount in the accounts of its employees in the last two days, workers have been hopping from ATM to ATM to withdraw cash but in vain.
“The tannery workers have already been struggling to withdraw their monthly salary, and now the Pongal bonus. They are waiting in long queues to get their own money,” N. Sundar, district secretary of North Arcot District Tannery Workers Union.
A tannery worker in Gudiyatham said he had worked from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. and stepped out during his one-hour lunch time to wait in a queue outside an ATM but had not been successful in withdrawing cash.
“The bonus amount was deposited on Tuesday. I have not been able to withdraw cash till now as the crowd is huge. Bank officials are saying that they can pay only Rs. 4,000 or Rs. 4,500, while ATMs run out of cash. In such situation, how can I purchase new clothes for Pongal or cater to the needs of my family?” he asked.
“I will keep trying again and again to see if I can withdraw some cash before Pongal,” he added.
Another tannery worker in Ambur said the situation was getting worse, and workers were returning empty-handed even after waiting for four hours.
In fact, representatives of Ambur Tanners Association had convened a meeting with bank officials last week to ensure sufficient disbursement of cash for Pongal.
“However, bank officials expressed their inability to make a commitment that sufficient cash will be made available at banks and ATMs in 10 days. Now, we are facing huge problems as the crowds are swelling at ATMs in Ambur. I spoke to an official of Reserve Bank of Indiabut he said that they did not have sufficient supply of currency from the press,” S. Faiyaz Ahmed, honorary secretary of the association said.
He said that banks should ensure that at least the assured amount of Rs. 24,000 per account per week should be made available to ease the difficulty faced by workers.
M. Rafeeque Ahmed, president of All India Skin and Hide Tanners and Merchants Association, said that banks in Ambur were receiving only five per cent of the cash required.
“This is a crisis situation. Already, absenteeism is high in factories as workers are standing in queues. It is worst today. What will workers do for Pongal if they are unable to draw cash? Very few ATMs in Ambur have cash, and something needs to be done,” he said.
He pointed out that Ambur should not be classified as a rural area. “It is an industrial town like Coimbatore and Tiruppur, and cash should be allocated accordingly. There are thousands of workers, and the town should be treated differently and not on the basis of population,” he said.
