Sri Lanka’s trade unions continuously highlighted the pathetic working conditions of local workers, especially in the large apparel industry in the export manufacture sector that boasts of a major contribution to the country's foreign exchange revenue
There are wide spread violations of workers' rights that undermine Decent Work" a leading trade union said adding that it is about right to employment, to begin with, and that employers should provide a living wage for the employee and the family, it should ensure workplace safety without discrimination and the right to association.
Heavy exploitation with no respect to human lives thus came to the open, one with the apparel industry raking up almost the same value in exports with half the workforce and the outbreak of the COVID- 19 virus at the Brandix Lanka factory at Minuwangoda.
As Joint Apparel Association Forum (JAAF) has officially informed the Labour Minister, they have in June this year earned 382.4 million USD as against 481.3 in June 2019, 441.9 million USD in July as against 452.0 in July 2019 and 416.7 million USD in August as against 472.6 in August 2019.
All this by heavy exploitation of half the workforce employed in the pre-COVID-19 period, adding on to their profits the wages and EPF/ETF contributions saved.
Minuwangoda Brandix Lanka factory tragedy speaks volumes of how the workers had been used as modern-day slaves, the trade union said.
832 workers out of around 1,600 had been confirmed as positive from PCR tests within 03 days.
General secretary of Free Trade Zone & General Services Employees' Union Anton Marcus said that they firmly believe, if required precautionary measures were effectively in place, there would have been no possibility for half the workforce to contract the COVID-19 virus.
Dr Sudath Samaraweera the Chief Epidemiologist of the country is on record saying, "When analysing the details of the factory workers, we noticed that there had been respiratory diseases in some factory workers since September 20 even though the female factory worker who first tested positive, had developed symptoms on 28 September."
Fact is, Brandix Lanka management had not taken any steps to have PCR tests done on any of those workers from September 20 till the female worker admitted to the Gampaha hospital was tested positive at the hospital on Sunday 04 October.
This total negligence of human lives may not be any different in other apparel company factories too. Apparel industry that pays no attention to Decent Work will not have COVID-19 prevention measures in their factories, for that would restrict extreme exploitation of workers.
Meanwhile the union stressed with utter disgust, the mainstream media including State media acted with absolute irresponsibility and with no sense of ethical journalism in insulting the affected female worker by suggesting she had been in illicit relationships.
With some social media activists too joining this slander campaign, what they effectively do is destroying the apparel industry by trying to project the industry as one that employs social discards.
He noted that that the apparel industry employs over 80% young females, who come from mainly rural households and carry with them family responsibility
(LIN)