<p><strong>The wage revision for cashew workers was finalised on Monday with representatives of trade unions and employers on the Industrial Relations Committee reaching an ‘agreement’ to hike the wages by 35 per cent.</strong></p> <p><strong>The agreement was reached during talks held in the presence of Labour Minister Shibu Baby John in Thiruvananthapuram. The talks which began at 4 p.m. ended at 9 p.m. Trade union leaders said several lakh cashew workers, the majority of them women, would benefit from wage revision.</strong></p> <p><strong>Employers, on the other hand, alleged they were forced to agree to the 35 per cent wage hike owing to threatening postures adopted by a section of trade union leaders. They contended that the industry was not in a position to provide a wage hike of over 25 per cent. The employers said the new hike would make the industry very uncompetitive in the highly competitive international kernel and raw cashew markets.</strong></p> <h1><strong>‘Poorly paid’</strong></h1> <p>But, trade union leaders said compared to the current cost of living index, cashew workers were poorly paid and they were eligible for a suitable hike in wages. The trade union leaders said international market indications of the cashew sector clearly suggested that the industry could comfortably bear the wage hike.</p> <p> </p>