Surat Weaving Industry Faces Worker Exodus Over Cooking Gas Crisis
In a desperate bid to retain their trained workforce, weaving units in Surat are now paying employees an additional sum—up to Rs 500 per kilogram—specifically to cover the soaring costs of cooking gas. This unprecedented measure comes as workers, struggling with exorbitant refill prices, threaten to return to their hometowns, potentially crippling the city's textile production.
Memorandum Highlights Looming Crisis
Various weavers' associations have formally expressed their fears of a mass departure in a memorandum submitted to the district collector on Monday. Without this extra financial support for cooking gas, workers are likely to leave, exacerbating an already critical shortage of skilled labor in the sector.
Root Causes: Government Restrictions and Unlawful Practices
The crisis stems from recent government actions to restrict the supply of commercial gas cylinders, prioritizing domestic cylinders to ensure smooth availability. This policy shift has inadvertently created a severe shortage for workers who rely on small gas stoves in their rented accommodations.
Most of these workers live alone or in male groups, cooking meals in tiny rooms using small cylinders that are typically refilled from larger commercial ones—often through unlawful means. With commercial cylinder supplies now limited, the cost of refilling has skyrocketed from around Rs 80 per kg to Rs 500 or more, placing an unbearable financial burden on the workforce.
Employers Take Drastic Steps to Retain Staff
Faced with this pressure, weaving unit owners are stepping in to cover the extra expenses. Ashok Jirawala, who operates a unit in Kim and serves as president of the Federation of Gujarat Weavers' Welfare Associations (FOGWWA), explained, "I started paying additional money for cooking gas to my employees. There is already a shortage of workers, and if these workers leave, it will become difficult to operate the unit."
Jirawala confirmed that similar situations are unfolding across multiple textile weaving clusters in the region, prompting FOGWWA to raise the alarm with local authorities.
Widespread Impact Across Surat's Textile Hubs
The issue is not isolated. Chetan Ramani, a weaving unit owner in Diamond Nagar, Laskana, stated, "I am paying additional money to workers to ensure that they stay and continue work. If this situation continues, we will have to shut our units, causing problems for workers."
Another key organization, the Surat Weavers Association (SWA), has also highlighted concerns in its own memorandum, noting that the commercial gas cylinder shortage affects not only cooking but also essential steam processes in weaving operations. Vijay Mangukiya, a unit owner, pointed out, "For the steam process, we are dependent on limited options at present. The steaming is done using commercial gas. Further, workers also face issues with cooking as gas was not available."
Salary Advances and Unauthorized Refilling
In some areas, such as Bhestan, workers are receiving salary advances to manage their increased gas expenses. Atul Patel, a weaving unit owner there, said, "The workers are demanding a salary advance as their expenses have increased due to rising gas prices. We are paying them so that they can manage in this situation."
Meanwhile, in the Sachin GIDC area, weavers have raised alarms about ongoing unauthorized refilling of cooking gas cylinders at certain grocery stores, calling for stricter enforcement to curb these illegal activities that further complicate the supply chain.
Broader Implications for the Textile Sector
This cooking gas crisis underscores the fragile interdependence between worker welfare and industrial productivity in Surat's weaving industry. With employers now bearing additional costs to retain staff, the sustainability of many units is at risk, potentially leading to shutdowns that would impact both the local economy and employment.
The collective appeals to the district collector emphasize the urgent need for a balanced policy approach that addresses domestic gas supply without undermining the operational needs of key industries like textiles.
