Negativity and gloom are not the only leftovers we will have post COVID-19. The pandemic will also leave us with sweet memories wherein we witnessed positivity, confidence, optimism and fightbacks, be it at the individual or community level. This is evident from the garment export industry, which suffered a major setback when the pandemic struck globally.
While some were handed pink slips, others chose to leave jobs as their salaries had stopped. But then most of them got up and started life afresh. For instance, Hema Pradeep says, in a confident tone, “Even if I earn Rs 5,000-Rs 6,000 a month by selling saris, I feel positive about myself.” She worked as a merchandiser and lost her job a few months after Unlock 1.0 happened.
“We had purchased a flat last year and were paying housing loan instalments so it was bound to get difficult with one earning member. My requests to my boss and the management fell on deaf ears. I was even ready to work on half the salary but they just refused to listen to me,” shares Hema. At home since October. after being paid 50 per cent salary till September, she gathered herself and, with her family’s support, started an online business of selling saris.
Hema’s colleague, Uma Harish, met the same fate. “The management made us quit. They could have retained us, considering there are so many who are drawing fat salaries without any work,” she says, adding that she is presently working out the logistics of the work she would be undertaking. “Though I am looking for a job as well, but most available are at the fresher level, and I cannot re-start my career at that,” she remarks.
Then there is Delhi-girl Neha Raheja who had moved to Bengaluru to work with Sunita Impex Pvt Ltd as a merchandiser. “After the Unlock was announced, my office started functioning towards May-end. We had just resumed work when I fell sick and my boss told me to take rest for a few days and then re-join,” she says.
But Neha could never do so as the company hired someone else at her place at a much lesser salary. “Thankfully, my husband works with the IT sector and has a secure job so we don’t have financial issues. But we decided to move back to Delhi to stay with my in-laws,” she puts in, adding there were many others who were terminated during this period. “Some were sole bread-earners in the family and couldn’t survive the period of turmoil and returned to their hometowns,” Neha adds, unsure if these people could start lives afresh with full zest and confidence as did Noida entrepreneur Pooja Tankha.
Pooja had just moved out of a partnership when the Corona-19 period took off. After the initial days of turmoil and struggle where she failed to even give salaries to her staff on time, Pooja regrouped herself and did a quick market survey to judge where things stood. “Thereafter, I changed my strategy, the module and the working system. From selling a $300 piece of garment in the pre-Covid era to merchandising it at $50 has been a challenge but by doing so, I’m able to pay salaries to people working with me,” she says.
Delhi-based Rahul Kashyap also worked with a big brand as vice president (quality control). Though he chooses to stay loyal to the brand by not disclosing the brand name, Kashyap is vocal about the period of turmoil after he lost his job. “One fine day, they just called and told me to not come any more. This was after a brief period where I worked on reduced salary,” he recalls.
Atul Sharma, owner of Noida-based Ava Apparels LLP, was unable to find his next step after Covid-19 hit the world. “The effect of Coronavirus started early in Europe and all our shipments were stopped. We just didn’t know how to react as we were in different stages of production and everything came to a standstill. My payment cycle also got stuck. As I couldn’t pay all the 500 employees, the staff strength was reduced to 50,” says Sharma.
Sharma adds that while big exporters were slightly better off as they had financial backup, smaller ones like him landed in a difficult situation. “We work on packing credit limits with banks. I had exhausted all of mine. At one point, there was no money in accounts and no money expected from overseas clients. I’ve got my clients back, but at a reduced fee” he says. “It will take anywhere between two to three years but we will surely make it big one day,” he concludes.