In protest of the weight of textile bales at transport warehouses, textile transport workers on Kadodara Road went on strike on Wednesday. The weight of textile bales is to be limited to 65 kg, as demanded by the workers, but packages arriving from outside the city keep getting heavier.
It was decided to cap the weight of textile bales at 65 kg by the Surat District Textile Marketing Transport Labour Union, Federation of Surat Trade and Textile Associations, and Textile Transport Association. The weight restriction would take effect on 1st September, it was revealed. A demonstration was held on Wednesday by around 250 employees from roughly 25 transport warehouses on Kadodara Road.
The 120 kg weight of the packages arriving from towns like Bhiwandi is causing the workers to protest. The labour force is requesting that the weight of these packages be decreased. While most city vendors have lowered the weight of their goods, outside parcels weigh more. If their demands are not met, the workers have threatened to continue the strike.
“At a few places, labourers are required to lift 120kg bundles, which is terrible. We have asked the carriers to reduce the weight of the bales, but they are still using larger ones,” the labour union’s president, Umashankar Mishra, stated.
“We also sent a letter to the office of the labour commissioner. However, the Government has not taken any steps to regulate the weight of bales, Mishra continued.
In the past, the worker union held meetings with traders and other textile associations to tackle the weight restriction difficulties. The labour union said the increased weight hurts the health of workers considerably.
