News Tamil Nadu

With Migrant Workers Leaving TN Concerned About Their Safety, Mills, Textile And Hotel Associations Extend Support

March 4, 2023
The Commune

With news of migrant workers in Tamil Nadu fleeing the state, organisations such as the South Indian Mills Association (SIMA), the Chennai Hotel Association, and the Tiruppur Exporter Associations have come forward to offer assistance to the migrant workers.

It has been reported that North Indian migrant labourers, primarily from Tiruppur and surrounding areas, were fleeing the state fearing attacks against them.

The opposition BJP in Bihar created a ruckus in the state Assembly before staging a walkout on Friday, demanding that a team of House members be sent to Tamil Nadu to investigate reports of attacks on Bihari migrants working in Tamil Nadu. Misreporting by a few Hindi media outlets has unleashed s political slugfest with migrant workers in Tamil Nadu facing the brunt.

Nevertheless, there have been several incidents of violence reported against workers from other states.

North Indian labourers were attacked in Chennai by a Vizhupuram man who claimed that their jobs were taken by Hindi speakers, and a Bengali construction worker who was stranded near Kelambakkam in Chengalpattu district was blindly attacked by local youths who mistook him for a thief, to name a few such incidents in Tamil Nadu where migrant labourers are attacked in last few days.

Because of increasing hostility against them, many migrant workers in and around Tirupur who form the backbone of the thriving textile industry, have been thronging railway stations. In this situation, the Southern India Mills Association (SIMA) issued a press release urging North Indian workers not to leave Tamil Nadu, claiming that if they do, the entire textile industry in Tamil Nadu will collapse.

In a statement, SIMA said,” Tamil Nadu produces 45 percent of all cotton yarn in India. After agriculture, the textile industry in Tamil Nadu provides the most job opportunities for illiterate and less educated men and women in the country. Tamil Nadu began to face labour shortages as a result of rapid industrial growth. To address this, migrant workers from Bihar, Odisha, Chhattisgarh, Uttarakhand, Assam, and West Bengal have come forward to work, and we have employed them for the past ten years. Migrant workers are employed not only in the textile industry, but also in other industrial and service sectors.”

The press release added, “Mr. T. Rajkumar, President of the Textile Federation of India, and Mr. Ravi Sam, President of the South Indian Cotton Association, addressed the media at a press conference held today in Coimbatore. They stated that there is no wage discrimination between local and migrant workers, and that the industry treats both workers equally. In fact, industrialists provide migrant workers with food and lodging based on their requirements. However, in recent weeks, some groups and political organisations have created unnecessary controversies surrounding the recruitment of migrant workers, arguing that migrant workers from North India should not be allowed to work in Tamil Nadu.”

SIMA further added, “They (Raj Kumar and Ravi Sam) went on to say that such organisations are sowing seeds of hatred in the minds of Tamil Nadu people and workers against the use of migrant labour. Such attitudes and demands of such groups will have an impact not only on the industrially developed state of Tamil Nadu, but also on the overall performance of the Textile industry. Furthermore, they stated that if this problem is not addressed at an early stage, the state’s industrial development will suffer.”

SIMA further said, “They (Raj Kumar and Ravi Sam) also pointed out that the Tamil Nadu government is trying to attract substantial investments to the state. They claimed that there was no conflict between migrant workers and local workers, and that social media reports were false and did not accurately reflect the situation. Tamil Nadu Police Superintendent Mr. Shailendra Babu revealed this in a video.”

The press release stated, “Mr. Rajkumar and Mr. Ravi Sam stated that on March 2, a video meeting was held in Coimbatore under the leadership of the District Collector of Coimbatore to discuss the situation, and the reality was explained.”

At the same time, steps are being taken to instill confidence in migrant workers to work in Tamil Nadu without any fear, they said. They urged the Tamil Nadu government to take serious action against the troublemakers through the appropriate departments, to protect industry and the working class, and to restore industrial peace in the state.

Tiruppur Exporters Association Chairman “Padmashree” Dr A Sakthivel too issued a statement in this regard. He assured the migrant labourers that the exporters are with them and that they should not be concerned about the situation. He also stated that he and his team will provide all types of assistance to migrant workers.

In a similar statement, the Chennai Hotel Association expressed concern that North Indians leaving the state would negatively impact their business.

Chennai Hotel Association said, “Attacking northern state labourers who work in Tamilnadu on various tasks is an inhuman act because these people are doing work that our people do not want to do.”

They also stated that the government must ensure the safety of migrant workers and that all attacks on migrant workers must cease immediately. They also stated that if the attacks continue, the food industry will be paralysed. They urged the Tamil Nadu government to take strict action in this regard.

However, the DMK IT wing and unofficial DMK mouthpieces like Behindwoods and The News Minute, including their journalists, who were referring to North Indian labourers as ‘Vadakkans’ until now, having realised the gravity of the situation are now attempting to portray it as migrant labourers going to their homes for celebrating Holi festival.

The Tamil Nadu police has launched a help line to reach out to migrant worker who are in distress.

While condemning the spread of fake videos about migrant workers being attacked in Tamil Nadu, BJP Tamil Nadu President also condemned the vile comments of DMK ministers who referred to them as Panipuri walas and Vadakkans, claiming that these irresponsible statements by DMK leaders triggered this exodus.

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