TIRUPPUR: Tiruppur knitwear exports have returned to the growth path, but shortage of labourers remains a challenge. Particularly, there is a chronic shortage of tailors, and the problem is compounded by the high attrition rate of skilled workers. To overcome what seems like an unending trouble, a knitwear exporter in Tiruppur recently announced bumper prizes for tailors who work for most number of days in the unit.
Home appliance worth Rs 20,000 was announced as the first prize and the message was widely shared among local workers on social media. About eight lakh workers are directly employed in the Tiruppur knitwear industry. Of this, about three lakh workers are from north Indian states.
The firm, located in Pichampalayam, exports 10 lakh knitwear pieces per year. B Mani, a human resource executive of the company, said, “Apart from labour shortage, retention of employees, particularly tailors, is a serious problem. Companies poach staff from other firms by luring them with a small pay hike. There are tailors who change companies every two days! They don’t care about how the production of firms gets affected because of their frequent job-hopping.”
He said, “To encourage employees to stay with us, we recently announced bumper prizes for tailors who work for the most number of days in a year. We started distributing flyers about the scheme in Tiruppur. We have started getting a lot of calls. We hope this idea will work.”
“First prize will be Rs 20,000 worth of home appliances or mobile phone, second prize will be Rs 15,000 worth of appliances, and third prize will be Rs 10,000 worth of goodies. Van and bus facilities will also be provided for workers,” the notice issued by the company said.
“In Tiruppur, tailors get a minimum of Rs 490 per eight-hour shift as per a salary agreement entered between labour unions and exporters. Some companies also offer workers a raise from time to time to retain them. But most tailors prefer a piece-rate system. Through this, they can earn at least Rs 1,000 every day. Per-piece charges also vary depending on orders. Tailors also look for companies that offer them the highest piece rate every day. Hence, they don’t care about permanent jobs and labour benefits,” another exporter said.
R Prabakaran, a singer-tailor, said, “I can earn more than Rs 1,000 a day by doing piece-rate job. We give priority to jobs that pay us the highest rate per piece. As family expenses have gone up, it is becoming difficult to make ends meet.”
MP Muthurathnam, president, Tiruppur Exporters and Manufacturers Association, said, “There is 30% labour shortage in Tiruppur. The state government should pay special attention to this. Instead of relying on workers from north Indian states, government should help train youth and women who are unemployed in other districts of Tamil Nadu to address this labour shortage.”
KM Subramanian, president, Tiruppur Exporters’ Association, said, “Tiruppur provides higher wages than other states. Currently there is no major labour shortage as workers from other states have returned to Tiruppur after the Lok Sabha polls. We are focusing on creating more skilled workers through government schemes keeping in mind the future demands of the industry.”