Chennai: “A sit-in protest will be held in Virudhunagar from today (Oct. 5) on behalf of the Marxist Communist Party, insisting on the demands that powerloom workers should be paid a wage of Rs. 250 for each new saree and that relief of Rs. 10,000 per month should be provided during periods of unemployment,” announced the party’s state secretary P. Shanmugam.
In a statement issued by him on this, he said, ‘Under the Tamil Nadu government’s free saree production scheme, 4,000 pedal looms are operating through 29 cooperative societies in the Rajapalayam, Srivilliputhur, and Vathirayiruppu areas of Virudhunagar district. More than 15,000 people are living by depending on this industry. The TVK government announced that new varieties of sarees would be provided this year.
The fixed price for the already-produced Janata-type sarees is Rs. 103.80. The wage fixed for the new type is Rs. 114.80. However, powerloom weavers say that it costs up to Rs. 250/- to weave one saree of the new type, and that a worker may be able to weave only 2 sarees a day. As a result, tens of thousands of powerloom workers have lost their livelihood and been severely affected.
Powerloom weavers had been engaged in a continuous protest for more than 50 days, as their appeals to the Handloom Minister and senior government officials demanding an increase in wages for weaving the new type of saree yielded no results. However, the Tamil Nadu government has so far merely stood by and watched without taking any action to fulfill the weavers’ legitimate demands, which is strongly condemnable.
Therefore, a sit-in protest has been underway in Virudhunagar since today (5.10.2026) on behalf of the Marxist Communist Party, urging the Tamil Nadu government to fulfill the key demands of power loom workers: pay Rs. 250 as wages for each new type of saree, provide Rs. 10,000 for equipment and expenses for switching to new types, provide Rs. 10,000 per month as relief during periods of unemployment, purchase the old-type sarees that have not yet been procured, and provide alternative work and materials for those who worked on the old type—such as paste applicators, yarn winders, and warp setters—who have been affected by the new type.
The Marxist Communist Party appeals to all sections of the public and democratic movements to extend their wholehearted support to this struggle, which is being held to press for the fair demands of powerloom weavers.
Further, as the Pongal festival is approaching, the Marxist Communist Party has urged the Tamil Nadu government to take appropriate steps to hold talks with the protesting powerloom weavers, fulfill their legitimate demands, and ensure that free veshti and sarees are provided to the public on time without any hindrance, he said.
