The textile industry in Tamil Nadu is in a tizzy with the sudden exorbitant increase in minimum wages for tailors. This is the first pay revision in 10 years. The 64 per cent increase is considered sudden and huge. 

The total monthly wages payable to a cutter has shot up to Rs 7,559 from Rs 4,605 and that of a machine operator to Rs 7,409 i[ from Rs 4,514. Stakeholders feel they are not against an increase in basic minimum rate, but a periodical review would have been better than a sudden and steep increase. 

The pay revision is applicable to tailoring shops, export garments manufacturing and administrative staff for both tailoring and export garments manufacturing. There are as many as eight scheduled employments under the Minimum Wages Act relating to the textile and clothing sector such as cotton ginning, pressing and waste cotton industry, handloom and weaving industry, handloom silk weaving industry, hosiery manufacturing, powerloom industry, silk twisting industry, tailoring industry and apprentices in textile mills. 

Besides these, there are many industrial establishments engaged in the manufacture of knitted and woven garments. However, the Tamil Nadu government has notified minimum wages for hosiery manufacturing. Mills say that if a unit does both, knitted and woven fabrics, and engages the same machine operator, it’s unclear under which schedule of employment it’s to classify these tailors. 

To tide over issues, and bring in more clarity, mills suggest bringing minimum wages across the state under one schedule with respect to the textile sector.