Textile tempo owners go on indefinite strike

Surat: At least 7,000 tempos delivering unfinished fabrics in textile markets located on Ring Road went off the road demanding free parking and direct supply of goods to textile mills here on Monday.

Sources said tempo owners had threatened to launch an indefinite strike from Monday to protest against managements of the textile markets for charging hefty parking fees despite Gujarat high court order for providing free parking at commercial complexes and shopping malls.

Surat Textile Goods Tempo Association and labour union have joined hands to protest against textile traders and also police for acting against the tempo owners supplying grey fabrics in the markets two days ago.

Sources said more than 80 per cent of the textile markets are not having parking facilities, while those who have charge parking fees ranging from Rs30 to Rs80 per hour. The tempo owners are forced to park their vehicles on the road for unloading and loading of grey fabrics from the markets.

Tempo association and labour union spokesperson Shaan Khan said, “We are equally concerned over traffic jams on Ring Road. We have been demanding that the grey fabrics collected from power loom weaving units should be delivered directly to the textile mills for finishing. There is no need to get the goods to the markets.”

Khan said managements of textile markets have stated that they will allow free parking for one hour and that the tempo owners will have to pay charge after one hour. However, the high court has ruled that parking in commercial complexes should be free.

Ashish Gujarat, leader of the powerloom sector, said, “Most of the small units who do not have godowns have stopped manufacturing grey fabrics because of the indefinite strike by the tempo owners. We have urged the textile traders to accept the demand of the tempo owners.”