Surat textile preparing to grab orders this marriage season and upcoming election

Surat, biggest man-made fabric (MMF) sector is getting ready grab continuous flow of orders as the demand for textile likely to increase due to the ongoing marriage season and forthcoming Lok Sabha election. But at the same at they are worried as Holi festival is also approaching and those engaged in weaving, processing and embroidery will facing labour problem as over 60 per cent of the migrant workers from different states like Bihar, Uttar Pradesh, Rajasthan, Maharashtra and Odisha move out of the city to celebrate Holi with their friends and family back home.

The textile businessmen to stop the workers from going home this Holi have opened up their purse strings and announced hike in their wages up to 15-20%. Some have even announced cash incentives for the workers to increase their performance.
The city’s textile sector employs close to seven lakh workers of which around 80 per cent are migrants. Every year during Holi, some four lakh workers, visit their natives.

Jitu Vakharia, president, South Gujarat Textile Processors Association (SGTPA) said that the textile processing sector has 1.5 lakh workers and if even 50 per cent move out of the city then the entire textile industry will be affected as it will be difficult to execute their order on time. To retain the migrant workers from visiting their native for Holi festival, they have decided to offer 15-20 per cent wage hike.

Abhishek Pradhan, a powerloom weaver in Pandesara said that at this crucial juncture when there is a continuous flow of orders they cannot afford to lose workers at for the first time, he has decided to increase wages by 15 per cent to entice the workers from not going to their hometowns this Holi.

Devesh Patel, president, Katargam Weavers Association (KWA) said that this time if the workers go for Holi will not return before Lok Sabha election. However, they are trying our best to retain the workers by offering them wage hike and other cash incentives.