Apparel industry stakeholders take collective measures

To safeguard country's image in international market:

Sanjeevi JAYASURIYA

The apparel industry stakeholders will take collective measures to safeguard the country's image in the international market despite recent worker unrest which may pose a threat to the industry progress.

"We are confident that the industry could bounce back and reach the targeted revenue for the year. The companies affected by the recent incident which took place at the Katunayake Export Processing Zone (KEPZ) have decided to meet the demand by working long hours," Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) Secretary General MPT Cooray told Daily News Business.

The companies have taken a decision to bridge the time gap by extended working hours to meet the delivery orders on time. Therefore, there will be no major impact on the industry in the short run. However, damage control measures are needed for the industry to progress in the future, he said.

"The recovery actions should be aimed at ensuring the extremely sound growth in the apparel industry. We need to work out a contingency plan to reach the targets and meet the global demand, Cooray said.

Plans are under way to provide a conducive working environment in the KEPZ for greater flexibility and with target orientation.