The shutdown has brought sari production in the district to a standstill. Union leaders accused both officials and political leaders of ignoring repeated pleas for a wage revision.
KARIMNAGAR: Hundreds of powerloom and handloom units in Sircilla fell silent today after workers, backed by the Centre of Indian Trade Unions (CITU), began an indefinite hunger strike demanding the state government set fair wages for weaving saris.
The shutdown has brought sari production in the district to a standstill. Union leaders accused both officials and political leaders of ignoring repeated pleas for a wage revision.
“We are not being paid a living wage for our labour,” said Moosam Ramesh, state president of the Telangana Powerloom Workers’ Union. District president Kodam Ramana added that many families are struggling to survive while waiting for a formal wage structure.
Workers say the Congress-led state government had earlier promised bulk sari orders for women’s self-help groups, but failed to fix remuneration for the work. Protesters are demanding that weavers receive the same rates paid for Bathukamma saris and that broader welfare measures for handloom workers — particularly women — be implemented without delay.
Union representatives warned that the agitation will intensify if the government does not act swiftly to resolve the wage issue.
