Financial Times

Garment manufacturer offers 100 jobs for laid-off workers
Emerald International (Pvt) Ltd, a garment manufacturer in Sri Lanka, is offering jobs for 100 experienced machine operators, in a quick response to a story appearing in The Sunday Times FT last month where two factory workers sobbed and wept when explaining how they lost their jobs after the MFA quota regime ended in January 2005.

During a presentation in Colombo of a report on the one-year-impact of the end to textile quotas, the duo pleaded with the audience that included top garment industrialists for jobs to take care of their families pointing out that at 40 years and over it's difficult to get jobs in a trade where factories prefer younger workers.

In an overall response to the plea of many workers who have lost their jobs due to the MFA fallout, Kusum Salgado, Head/Human Resources at Emerald International (Pvt.) Ltd based in Maharagama, wrote to The Sunday Times Editor last week saying their company was desperately trying for the past three months to recruit machine operators for its three factories located in the Western Province.

"We are able to provide accommodation and a host of other benefits for the employees. It is important if anyone could put us in contact with these employees who have already lost their jobs, or who are going to lose their jobs in the future as a result of planned closure of factories," she said, in the offer.
She said she was involved in the HR development in the apparel industry, and was also currently heading a recruitment drive to select and employ around 100 experienced machine operators.

"While I agree that except for a few work environments, generally Sri Lankan labour productivity is less, with lower capacity utilization, high absenteeism and labour turnover. Low competency, due to lack of knowledge, skills and incomplete training is another major reason for the low employability, and internal migration,"

She said the company was committed to fulfilling a responsibility towards the apparel workers, and "reiterate our capability of immediately offering employment for 100 experienced machine operators."

Groups representing trade unions said however that the crux of the problem is when the affected factories are in villages and towns where workers come from nearby areas.

"Due to transportation and accommodation problems, workers prefer to remain in factories close to homes," one workers' rights official said. "Getting a job away from home is uneconomical and living costs are high."

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