Harsh realities post quota era haunt garment industry - Survey
 

by Channa Kasturisinghe

The harsh realities of the post-quota era have started to haunt Sri Lanka's garment industry with the remarkable increase of factories being closed down resulting in thousands of job losses.

Already 15 factories have been closed down and some are on the verge of closure within and outside export processing zones, a survey conducted by the Department of Labour with the assistance of the International Labour Organisation and OXFAM revealed.

Assistant Commissioner of Labour Y. Jagathweera said that although the actual number of job losses is not available the number of factories closed down is enough to create panic among garment workers. He was addressing a meeting convened by Apparal-industry Labour Rights Movement (ALaRM) in Colombo yesterday.

Coordinator of ALaRM P.B. Gowthaman said from January to October this year 15 factories consisting over 3000 workers have been closed down and there are another 22 factories which are awaiting the same fate.

A large section of these factories represent the small and medium scale category, he said. He also said the situation has also created poorer working conditions for workers in some factories. He said most factories are from rural areas and the workers are hard pressed to find any alternative paid employment. "The situation is aggravated by the fact that over 85 percent of the 300,000 working force in over 800 small to large scale factories being female," he said.

Meanwhile, G.R.R Damayanthi and H.D Suneetha Kumudini who are among over 300 employees who lost jobs after the closing down of A.J. Milton, a garment factory in the Katunayake zone said her factory was closed on July 17. "When we came to work there was a notice on the gate saying the factory was closed until further notice," she said.

Badrika Chandani (37) said Cadillac Garments, at Angulana said her factory had also closed down recently resulting about 400 job losses.

Gowthaman said although there are efforts by the government and other stakeholders to create jobs to face the post-quota era the shedding of jobs considerably out number the jobs created. "Actual number of job losses may vary as most employees are absorbed by factories which are functioning. That reduces the chances for those newcomers waiting to fill the vacancies," he said.