Livelihood of 5 lakh workers to get affected as matchbox industries begin strike in Tamil Nadu

The livelihood of over five lakh workers with 90 per cent comprising women employees engaged in the matchbox industry will get affected as the employees began a 12-day strike on Wednesday to protest against the sharp increase in raw materials, an industry official said.

The matchbox industry comprising 350 units, with a majority in Tuticorin and Virudhunagar districts, commenced their strike that is expected to witness a production loss of around Rs 6 crore every day. "There is no production right now. We have made a representation to the Tamil Nadu government about the hike in raw materials. We are yet to receive a positive response from them...," an industry official told PTI.

The workers staged a similar protest last year against the increase in production costs which was impacting the industry, he said.

"Even now, we are protesting since price of raw materials has been increasing on a daily basis... cost of production has gone up and the buyer is not interested in buying our products. That is why we have decided to halt production," National Small Matchbox Manufacturers Association Secretary V S Sethurathinam said.

The matchbox industry units are spread across Tuticorin and Virudhunagar districts and have been serving both domestic and overseas markets, he said. "Prices of raw materials like wax, red phosphorous has witnessed a sharp increase. Prices of lorry freight have also increased. But we are unable to get the desired selling rates... there is no order also...," he said.

To a query, the association secretary said more than 90 per cent of employees comprise women and the livelihood of these people will be affected. Sethurathinam said the 350 companies produce 5,000 bundles a day. Each bundle costs about Rs 400. "This will impact the companies due to the strike," he said.

"In Tuticorin district, Kovilpatti, Kazhugumalai, Vilathikulam are engaged in the sector while in Virudhunagar district, Sattur, Sivakasi, and Thiruthangal comprise a majority of the industry. There are some companies located in Tenkasi and Vellore districts also," he said.

The All India Motor Transport Congress in Namakkal representing the truck owners have extended their support to the strike, he said. "We are not loading any goods in trucks due to the strike. The AIMTC have also extended their support to us," Sethurathinam said.

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