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G. Gurumurthy

Coimbatore , Sept. 22

AMIDST growing number of casual labourers being inducted by textile units, major textile workers unions are in a dilemma over pitching their bonus demands for mill workers in Coimbatore this year.

With the number of textile mills shedding the strength of permanent workers in their rolls swelling this year, the trade unions are having to rework their priorities — whether to fight the loss of jobs and the consequent de-unionisation of textile workers or chalk out a forceful bonus demand this time, sources close to the trade unions here said.

The scene evolving in the spinning-oriented Coimbatore-based textile industries' job market has particularly unnerved the unions, as the pace of easing out the permanent workers has gained momentum.The joint action committee (JAC) of the eight major textile workers unions, which has summoned a district-level leaders meet on Monday evening here, is scheduled to discus the bonus for 2002-03. But the first meeting on this year's bonus issue poses the question of how to reach the `hundreds of casual workers' employed by Coimbatore mills on consolidated wages , the source said.

Wednesday's JAC meeting would make an attempt to discuss the issue arising out of large-scale induction of casual workers (or camp coolies as they are called).

In recent years, the textile workers bonus issue has failed to elicit any passion among the workers, forcing most of the workers' unions to settle bonus payments at individual mill levels at percentages far below the demanded rates.

"About 15 major textile mills which were working till a year ago are not operational this year in Coimbatore city, and about 50 mills located in and around the city have replaced their permanent workers with camp coolies on daily wage basis. As such, the bonus issue will not be the same again for the Coimbatore mill workers, for whom getting timely monthly wages is more important than the one-time bonus," said a JAC leader on condition of anonymity.

According to trade union sources, the number of casual workers among the total textile workers employed in the district has gone up sharply between 2002-'03. In the last one year alone, the percentage of casual workers engaged for Rs 50/Rs 60 per day in Coimbatore-based units has gone to 40 per cent. However, the sources maintained that they did not know the exact number of casual workers engaged by the city-based textile mills.

The sources said despite the raising number of casual workers, the JAC would go ahead and come out with a formal bonus demand in Wednesday's meeting, which would be placed before the State-level JAC of textile workers to be held on October 4.

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