Garment factories exploiting Northern girls, union charges
By Chris Kamalendran
A garment sector trade union leader charged yesterday that some garment manufacturers were seeking cheap female labour from the one time battle areas of the north.“Factory workers were leaving due to poor wages, work and living conditions.
Most in the north are ignorant of the labour laws and are falling prey,” Anton Marcus, President of the Progressive Free Trade Zone and Apparel Union told the Sunday Times.
“After many years of war, the people in these areas are ignorant of workers rights, wages and so on and are easy prey for the apparel operators. Most of the big names currently touring the north and east are known to be serious violators of labour laws,” Mr. Fernando charged.
He said there was a huge dearth of factory hands at the moment because many were leaving owing to poor wages and working and living conditions.
“Therefore the apparel bosses have switched to the north and east where there is widespread unemployment. These people are willing to work for any wage and they care less about the working or living conditions. At the end of the day, these workers will be exploited,” he said.
Meanwhile politicians in the north and east have also begun to frown on the ad-hoc system of recruiting workers from the area. In one case a local MP stopped a group of Kilinochchi girls from being loaded into a bus before they were taken to a factory in Kandy.
TNA politician S. Sritharan said they had no objection to the recruitment but it should be done in a proper manner. “These girls are just loaded on to buses. No one knows where they are heading for. There should be some transparency in the whole issue.
I have taken the matter up with the authorities,” he said.He said that even some security forces personnel were openly assisting in the apparel operators’ campaign to recruit unsuspecting girls.
Lasantha De Silva with Timex Garments admitted they were involved in a recruitment drive in the north and east but said there was no illegality in it. - courtesy: The Sunday Times -
7 Comments
The vultures will exploit the downtrodden, sadly that's how some human beasts behave.
The government was gloating that Kumar Devapura of Tristar Garments was employing Tamils as employees, I cannot say anything about his intentions but this has to be nipped in the bud.
Sorry Lanka has by it's own seeking and stubbornness lost the GSP facility with the european union may do the same with the USA. a j.
What we do come around. But to jaffna man this has come back so quickly.
While i was young I had come to know other communities among Tamils only as servants at their homes and how badly they were treated.
I never expected this turnaround so quickly.
Velu Praba, you have done a great service to Sri Lanka
Laws of demand & supply my dear!
Workers in the Western countries lost their jobs when factories were set up in third world countries in industries such as apparel & other low tech production processes. Same principle applies here.
Only requirement perhaps would be to ensure a fair minimum wage is set up.
These companies are providing employment to females in the North who would otherwise be destitute. Off course the labor costs must be lower than in Colombo otherwise no businessman will do it. These girls are not forced to work here. The workers and unions in Colombo are getting some competition and they don't like it. The union guys are crying because of their own interest, not out of sympathy for the people in the North. This way we can keep some of these industries in Sri Lanka or they will shut down and go to Bangladesh where the costs are even lower.
Trade unionist, Please give these people to get a breath after suffering long. Yes some people misusing their fate. It should not be happaned. But reality, these people need some form of engagement. Atleast, even for profit, these gyes are doing something good to them. Think positively even it make little harm.
What is better ? To have a job or No job ?
Vultures who exploit exists in Guam sweat shops, China, Bangaladesh,Vietnam, India, Morocco ect.,.......... evrybody goes for cheap labour.
Nobody is forcing. if they want they can work for the salary & p0erks offered or opt to be not employed in the Garment trade.
Anton Marcus is an idiot...... If Labour does not come in cheap, how does one compete in open market ??
No businesses run for chairty......
What do you want ? A job or remain unemployed.
Yes. factory workers can leave if not satisfied. They also can commit suicide if they do want, like in Southern China where Apple products are manufactured by a Taiwan colgomorate.
But the factories must go on and produce or else move elsewhere where the labour is cheap.
Exploitation of labour is part of the Capitalist society. I know how estate children (they are too TAMIL) exploited as HOUSE-SERVANTS by Jaffna population.
In my view, it is better to have a job than have-no-job!
What will happen if a TAMIL man setup a garment factory in Kilinochchi? Will he exploit the labour or run it as a CHARITY?