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, and not reduce rates citing market fluctuations.
The direction was issued at a conciliatory meeting held at the Tirupur collectorate on October 14. Representatives of job-work powerloom owners’ federations from Coimbatore and Tirupur attended the meeting along with textile manufacturers and government officials.
Under the April 20 agreement facilitated by the Tirupur and Coimbatore district administrations, manufacturers are required to pay the full 2022 notified rates without any reduction. For categories currently in practice, the agreement provides for a 15% increase over the 2022 rates for the Somanur variety and a 10% increase for other varieties.
The pact also requires textile manufacturers to enter into direct, signed memoranda of understanding with powerloom owners. The district administration reiterated that neither side should reduce the notified rates. Manufacturers should not pay less, while powerloom owners should not accept less, regardless of changes in market conditions, officials said.
The meeting followed a complaint from the Tirupur District Job-Work Powerloom Owners’ Federation, which alleged that some textile manufacturers were attempting to pay reduced wages by not adhering to the agreement. The federation said the dispute had continued for more than three months.
The powerloom sector is an important part of the production network linking Tirupur and Coimbatore, where manufacturers depend on job-work units for textile processing and fabric production. A dispute over notified rates can therefore affect payment arrangements between larger textile manufacturers and smaller powerloom operators across the two districts.
The administration said compliance with the April 2025 agreement was necessary to maintain industrial peace and cordial relations between manufacturers and powerloom owners. The collector also urged manufacturers to cooperate with the implementation of the wage revision.
Officials present at the meeting included Coimbatore additional labour commissioner T Dharmaseelan, Tirupur revenue divisional officer Sivaprakash and assistant labour commissioner (conciliation) P Lenin, among others.
Powerloom owners alleged that only one textile manufacturer attended the Tirupur meeting. They said another meeting would be held in Coimbatore district before the end of October to discuss implementation of the agreement and the continuing dispute over job-work rates.
