For the first time, the adolescent and women workers at the textile industries of Coimbatore, Tirupur and Erode have submitted their demands to the candidates contesting the assembly election from the constituencies in these districts.
A citizen's committee formed by a group of labourers' welfare organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), have submitted the demands on Monday.
"There has been no representation from this section of labourers to talk about their issues and demands. So, a group of 12 organizations have formed a citizen's committee and have submitted the demands of adolescent and women workers of the textile industry in Coimbatore, Tirupur and Erode," said the coordinator of the committee C Nambi.
"We have reached out to at least candidates or political parties so far. We will also be meeting senior functionaries from each political party in the coming days to submit these demands," he said.
The six-page list of demands raises issues like age restriction for employment, minimum wages for labourers, maintaining the limit of apprentices as per the law, cutting short the tenure of apprentices, monitoring hostels and stringent laws against child labour and sexual harassment. The first point in the list of 14 demands discusses the issue of the age restriction for employment.
"Contradictory definitions of age of children in various legislations should be removed..., and employment of children below the age of 18 in all forms of labour should be banned," said the booklet.
The committee has also placed demands for enforcing labour welfare laws. One of the key demands is to ensure that all casual labourers including apprentices in the textile industry receive a minimum wage of Rs15,000 per month. The list says that the percentage of apprentices in a factory should be restricted to 10% as per the Apprenticeship Act, 1965.
The citizen's committee alleges that 70% of the labourers in some textiles mills are apprentices. The committee has also demanded that the tenure of an apprentice be reduced from the current three years to one year, like it was until 1984. It is mandatory for textile mills that employ women to have a hostel which has to be registered under the Tamil Nadu Hostels and Homes for Women and Children Act, 2014.
It has also demanded for stringent laws against child labour and sexual harassment in textile mills.
A citizen's committee formed by a group of labourers' welfare organizations and non-governmental organizations (NGOs), have submitted the demands on Monday.
"There has been no representation from this section of labourers to talk about their issues and demands. So, a group of 12 organizations have formed a citizen's committee and have submitted the demands of adolescent and women workers of the textile industry in Coimbatore, Tirupur and Erode," said the coordinator of the committee C Nambi.
"We have reached out to at least candidates or political parties so far. We will also be meeting senior functionaries from each political party in the coming days to submit these demands," he said.
The six-page list of demands raises issues like age restriction for employment, minimum wages for labourers, maintaining the limit of apprentices as per the law, cutting short the tenure of apprentices, monitoring hostels and stringent laws against child labour and sexual harassment. The first point in the list of 14 demands discusses the issue of the age restriction for employment.
"Contradictory definitions of age of children in various legislations should be removed..., and employment of children below the age of 18 in all forms of labour should be banned," said the booklet.
The committee has also placed demands for enforcing labour welfare laws. One of the key demands is to ensure that all casual labourers including apprentices in the textile industry receive a minimum wage of Rs15,000 per month. The list says that the percentage of apprentices in a factory should be restricted to 10% as per the Apprenticeship Act, 1965.
The citizen's committee alleges that 70% of the labourers in some textiles mills are apprentices. The committee has also demanded that the tenure of an apprentice be reduced from the current three years to one year, like it was until 1984. It is mandatory for textile mills that employ women to have a hostel which has to be registered under the Tamil Nadu Hostels and Homes for Women and Children Act, 2014.
It has also demanded for stringent laws against child labour and sexual harassment in textile mills.