Workers’ long holidays hit Tirupur garment units

Coimbatore

Though it is an annual phenomenon for workers to go on long leave for Deepavali, their absence is having a drastic effect on the textile sector.

“Workers from north India, who account for the majority of the workforce in the textile hub, go on leave for about a month with the bonus received during Deepavali festival. Their absence has resulted in production loss for the textile units,” said MP Muthurathinam, president of the Tirupur Exporters and Manufacturers Association (TEAMA).

Tirupur, which contributes to more than 50 per cent of the knitwear garments in India, employs six lakh labourers directly and another four lakh workers indirectly.

Of them, a majority of workers are migrants from Bihar, Orissa and Madhya Pradesh. In addition to migrants, a segment of workers from southern districts like Madurai, Tirunelveli, Theni and Cumbum have also stayed back in their natives to take up agriculture work following good rain this year. They all are likely to return only after Pongal festivity.

Only those labourers who have settled down in Tirupur with their families had begun to report for duty. Most of the textile units have declared almost a week-long holiday for the Deepavali festival and are likely to resume operations on Monday (November 4) with the existing minimum workforce.

Industrialists, however, shared a common opinion that their orders have declined significantly after the introduction of GST, demonetisation and came down further due to the recent economic slowdown.

“Job working units are facing lack of work due to poor orders. Usually, employers ask workers to come back to work as soon as possible after Deepavali celebrations, but this year job working units have asked them not to rush back and take an extended leave indicating that they may not get enough work. Workers too have realised this fact and so would come casually. Only 30 to 40 per cent of workers who had gone to their hometowns have returned so far. Yet their absence will definitely lead to production loss,” said Kumar Duraisamy, permanent invitee to the Apparel Export Promotion Council (AEPC).

Echoing a similar view, MP Muthurathinam said, “Absenteeism by workers is not felt much due to poor orders. Already large volume of manufactured apparels worth over Rs10,000 crore lies stagnant without takers due to the existing economic slowdown. It may take a year for the already produced goods to get sold out. Hence, absence of workers doesn’t make much of a difference. Yet, if their absence gets prolonged further, then it may cause production loss mainly 

to bigger firms.”

However, the textile unit owners hope for a turnaround as exports may revive for the ensuing Christmas and New Year festivity. Of the six lakh-odd labourers in the district, more than two lakh labourers are yet to return for work. Their absence comes at a time when the textile hub of Tirupur is already facing huge labour shortage pegged at about 40 per cent.

To prevent workers from moving over to other jobs, industrialists said that construction of an ESI hospital and developing a housing board to accommodate labourers to be essential 

in the district.

“For the six lakh-odd labour force, at least one lakh houses should be built and hostels to accommodate another one lakh labourers. It is due to lack of housing facilities, the labourers do not stay permanently and switch over resulting in attrition,” said Muthurathinam.

In the last financial year between April 2018 and March 2019, Tirupur made exports worth Rs 26,000 crore and did business for up to Rs 20,000 crore in the domestic market across India.

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