Tirupur district collector Dr Manish Narnaware has directed textile manufacturers to pay job-work powerloom owners according to the wage revision agreement reached on April 20, 2025, rejecting attempts to reduce rates by citing market fluctuations. The directive was issued at a conciliatory meeting held at the Tirupur collectorate on October 14.
The meeting brought together representatives of job-work powerloom owners’ federations from Coimbatore and Tirupur and textile manufacturers. The district administration reviewed the implementation of the wage pact and reiterated that manufacturers must pay the agreed rates without reductions.
Under the April 20 agreement, facilitated by the Tirupur and Coimbatore district administrations, manufacturers were required to pay the full 2022 rates, with revised increases for categories currently in practice. The increase is 15% for the Somanur variety and 10% for other varieties over the notified 2022 rates.
The agreement also requires manufacturers to enter into direct, signed memoranda of understanding with powerloom owners. These agreements are intended to establish the applicable rates and formalise the commercial relationship between textile manufacturers and the job-work units operating their looms.
The administration said neither side should reduce the notified rates because of changing market conditions. Manufacturers should not pay less than the agreed amount, while powerloom owners should not accept lower rates, officials reiterated during the meeting.
The intervention followed a complaint from the Tirupur District Job-Work Powerloom Owners’ Federation. The federation told the administration that some textile manufacturers were attempting to pay reduced wages by not adhering to the April 2025 agreement. Powerloom owners said the dispute had continued for more than three months.
The issue highlights the administrative complexity of Tirupur’s textile production network, where manufacturers depend on job-work powerloom units for part of the production process. While the district administrations facilitated the wage agreement, its implementation depends on direct contracts and compliance between private manufacturers and powerloom owners.
Officials attending the meeting included Coimbatore additional labour commissioner T Dharmaseelan, Tirupur revenue divisional officer Sivaprakash and assistant labour commissioner (conciliation) P Lenin, along with other officials. The collector urged manufacturers to follow the April agreement and cooperate with powerloom owners to maintain industrial peace and cordial relations.
Powerloom owners also reported that only one textile manufacturer had attended the Tirupur meeting. They said another meeting would be held in Coimbatore district before the end of October to continue discussions on implementing the wage revision agreement.
