Scaremongering has hit garment industry

By Chaminda Silva

The orders Sri Lankan garment factories receive have decreased because of statements made by various officials and politicians that there will be extended power cuts in the future, Gamini Ratnayaka, convenor for National Centre for Trade Zone Workers (NCTZW) said.

“Some officials say that there will be 10-to-12-hour power cuts daily. Due to such statements, the orders Sri Lankan garment factories receive have decreased by 30 to 40 percent,” he said.Ratnayaka said a number of factories now had three-day work weeks. That had drastically reduced the income of workers.

“Some factories that used to operate 24 hours a day have now cancelled night shifts. At the Biyagama Export Zone, a factory that employs 2,000 workers has said that it will close in December. The management has asked the workers to apply for factories in India or Maldives,” he said.

Ratnayaka said that most business operations were based on trust. If a foreign buyer believed that a Sri Lankan factory would not be able to meet deadlines, it would cancel orders regardless of assurances or previous track records, he said.

“When a buyer in Europe or the US hear a Sri Lankan politician or a senior government official warning that there will be 12-hour power cuts, he or she would think twice about placing an order. As Sri Lankans we take what politician or senior officials say with a pinch of salt. However, foreigners take these warnings seriously,” he said.