As more lockdown restrictions are expected to ease by Monday, the labour-intensive garment industry has asked the State government for permission to function at full capacity.
While the government has allowed factories to work at 50% capacity, the garment industry has been allowed to function with 30% workforce. The Karnataka Employers’ Association on Thursday appealed to the government to enhance workforce strength to 100% or at least 75% in the interest of the industry as vaccination of employees had commenced.
Garment units here have received good national and international orders with strict deadlines, and units could face penalty if they are not adhered to. It said over 1,000 export oriented units in Karnataka had been severely hit by the lockdown, and estimated the losses to be ₹5,250 crore. The garment industry in the State has about 10 lakh employees, mostly women.
‘Diversion possible’
The association, in a letter to Chief Minister B.S. Yediyurappa, said that due to the severe restrictions in Karnataka, customers were looking at States such as Tamil Nadu and Kerala where such curbs were not enforced on the garment industry.
Another significant development, the association pointed out, was that though Bangladesh was under strict lockdown, it had allowed export-oriented industries, including garments, to function with 100% manpower. “Foreign buyers may divert their orders to countries like Bangladesh for uninterrupted supply,” the association said.
The association said that garment manufacturing requires all employees in the assembly line and reduction in workforce affects production.
