Surat Textile Workers Protest Long Hours and Lack of Weekly Holidays

Workers raise concerns over extended shifts, wage issues and working conditions in Surat’s textile and embroidery units.

Surat Textile Workers Raise Concerns Over Working Conditions

Around 10 am on Thursday, approximately a hundred textile workers assembled outside the Surat collector’s office to raise concerns about their working conditions. Police personnel, both in uniform and plain clothes, were deployed at the entrance and monitored those arriving at the premises.

As television crews began interviewing the workers, several spoke about their grievances, including extended working hours and the lack of regular weekly holidays.

The concerns have brought renewed attention to working conditions in Surat’s textile and embroidery industry, where workers have raised questions about employment arrangements, wages and access to statutory benefits.

Long Shifts and Limited Weekly Rest

Workers have highlighted the difficulties associated with lengthy shifts and insufficient rest days. The demands centre on more manageable working hours, regular weekly holidays and improved compliance with applicable labour requirements.

Embroidery workers have also raised concerns about the terms under which they are employed. Working arrangements in the sector, including those involving contractors and piece-rate compensation, have featured in discussions about workers’ conditions.

Employers and Workers Face a Growing Divide

The dispute reflects differing concerns among workers and employers over working arrangements, labour availability and the costs associated with changes to existing practices.

Workers are seeking changes to conditions they say affect their daily lives, while the issue has also drawn attention to the relationship between employment practices and the implementation of labour provisions in Surat’s textile sector.

The developments have placed the question of working hours and weekly holidays at the centre of the ongoing concerns raised by textile workers.