CHENNAI: Over 500 women, working in a garment manufacturing unit for the past three years in Avadi, have been on a protest since Monday as the company informed them all of a sudden that the operations will be shifted to its unit in Madras Export Processing Zone (MEPZ) in Tambaram, located around 35 kilometres away, from July.
The workers, who are in their thirties and forties and largely come from areas in and around Red Hills and Minjur, said the shift would result in them spending around 15-16 hours away from their homes, which is unsustainable, considering their family responsibilities.
“We are not just 500 workers, we are 500 families, and many of us are single parents. If we are to spend our whole day working and travelling, who will take care of our families? We have to manage our homes too,” said 41-year-old R Jansi from Minjur.
The workers are now demanding that the company should either drop its decision to shift or pay a fair final settlement of at least three months of their salaries, for the workers will have no option but to collectively resign.
At present, the company arranges vans to pick up the women from 32 points. Although the company has said it will continue to provide this facility, the workers said they would end up spending around five hours in travel, as the travelling distance will increase from roughly 13 to 25 kms (one way) at present to 40 to 60 kms (one way), once shifted.
The workers said they clock around nine hours a day at present at the unit, besides on occasions when they have to do overtime, and earn somewhere between Rs 12,000 to Rs 15,000 per month.
“No one will recruit women for garment production after their mid-thirties,” said Dharani V (33) from Red Hills, adding the workers are concerned whether they would get another job soon to sustain their families. According to the workers, the company has agreed only to encash their earned leave balance, if any, if they were to resign by this month.
Sujata Mody, president of Garment and Fashion Workers Union (GAFWU), who has taken up the issue with the labour department along with the workers, contended that the company, Celebrity Fashions Limited, has violated provisions of the Industries Dispute Act with its sudden retrenchment announcement.
“The GAFWU contends that the company is in the process of closing, and it is a closure case. Neither the government nor the employer (Celebrity Fashion) is taking any steps to redress the grievances of the workers within a fixed period, and neither of them has agreed on any solutions to the workers’ problem,” Mody said, adding another round of discussion is expected on Friday.
The company could not be reached for a comment despite multiple attempts.