Apparel Online India Magazine January 1st Issue 2019 | Page 24

HOT TOPICS TO ADVERTISE GOING TO A GOOD EVENT? Contact Rani Mahendru [phone] (512) [email protected] Send your industry gossip, photos and news to [email protected] CONCERNS July 16-31 NGOs spare no one in the supply chain with a series of reports In the last one year, a dozen or so reports have been released by various NGOs, or what the international media calls ‘watchdog agencies’ on labour rights’ violations in garment manufacturing countries. The common thread that runs through all the reports is that despite claims to the contrary, workers are still facing many issues, including harassment and physical abuse at factories. Even retailers are many a time turning a blind eye to get products as per their lead time and price point requirements. Though the concern for the workers is justified and more changes do need to happen, the way these reports are put together and presented is questionable, as is the intention behind the reports. “An investigation by the WRC has found that from late March through mid-April 2018, the management of Shahi Exports was engaged in a campaign of vicious repression and retaliation against workers’ exercise of fundamental labour rights, which included physical beatings; death threats; gender, caste, and religion-based abuse; threats of mass termination; and the expulsion of 15 worker activists from the factory. The violations occurred at Shahi’s Unit 8 factory in Bangalore, in the course of a deliberate effort by Shahi to repress the organisation of a union at the factory and, relatedly, prevent an increase in garment workers’ wages,” the report reads. Anant Ahuja , Director, Shahi Exports “Shahi does not agree with the allegations made in the report. This report lacks proper evidence and is one-sided. It is a partial account of what we have done on the matter, as WRC decided to release the report while our internal investigations and actions were underway. They have also outrightly refused to accept local Government and judicial authorities and are propagating allegations based on solely their own investigation.” Walmart “The allegations in the report are concerning, and we welcome the opportunity to identify areas for improvement. Walmart is committed to supporting our suppliers, advocating for workers in the supply chain and helping lead the effort to combat forced labour and human trafficking.” 24 Apparel Online India | JANUARY 1-15, 2019 | www.apparelresources.com November 16-30 Is apparel industry moving in the right direction…! Performance of Public Ltd. companies confirm good growth Is the Indian apparel manufacturing industry doing well at present and is on the right track? Yes, especially in the last few months, many companies have done well; in fact, some of the big players’ sales have grown in double-digits and some have shown extraordinary profitability too. Apparel Online has conducted in-depth research in this regard covering all possible segments, right from top-level exporters to mid-level export houses, doing different product categories and exporting to various markets. “Our new initiatives, unleashed recently, shall strengthen our growth opportunities in both the international as well as the domestic market.” – KP Ramasamy, Chairman of KPR Mill Ltd. “The growth for Q2 is as per our expectation. We are happy that we are able to achieve what we had projected earlier.” – Sabu M Jacob, MD, Kitex Garments “We are implementing a plan to increase our turnover, improve profitability and financial condition, and to sell certain non-core assets. ” – Jae Ho Song, MD, E-Land Apparels Ltd., Mumbai “The market share of the country’s unorganised sector is expected to decline; the share of the organised sector is likely to increase.” – Ashok Todi, Chairman, Lux Industries, Kolkata “The second quarter turned out to be another challenging quarter for the industry with GST implementation impacting our domestic textile business.” – Jaayesh Shah, Director and CFO, Arvind Ltd.