Nearly two lakh power looms remained closed today in Coimbatore and Tirupur districts, as part of the indefinite strike that began today, to protest against the textile units for not paying the wages as agreed upon in 2014. The strike was called for by the Coimbatore and Tirupur District Power Loom Job working unit owners.

According to a 3-year agreement signed by the clothes manufacturers (textile units) and the weavers in 2014, the former had agreed to give a 27 percent hike in the wages to the latter. But, after paying the revised wages for the first few months, the textile units reverted to the older rates, Palanisamy, the president of Coimbatore District Power Loom Unit Association, said.

Each day, the powerloom units in both the districts produce about 1.50 crore metres of fabric worth Rs.50 crores.