Apparel Online India Magazine May 1st Issue 2018 | Page 8

MIND TREE
Q-and-A
Being an apparel manufacturer or stakeholder of textile industry, how do you see current
scenario of labour availability? Of late, have you noticed increase in labour availability…?
If yes, is it the positive impact of skill developments schemes, or is it that apparel exports
have not grown as per the industry’s expectations, so more labour is not required… Are
there any other reasons also, like automation, increased productivity, efficiency, etc.?
Harish Dua, MD, KG
Exports, Ludhiana
You have raised a very valid
question and I must say that
despite the important points you
raised, like not much growth
in apparel exports, increasing
usage of automation, upsurge
in productivity and efficiency…,
still there is scarcity of skilled
labour. I have observed that
due to closure of some units,
many skilled workers have
left garment industry and
joined other trade, or started
something else as they don’t
see any bright future in apparel
industry.
There is abundance of unskilled
labour, but to train them is not
an easy option as we have
already tried this route but
overall results are not very good.
Big reason for the same, is that
Government is not supporting
the skill development initiatives.
There may be various schemes
for skill enhancement, but so
far our experience remained
negative as we opened two
training centres with 50 stitching
machines and got incentive
(Rs. 2000 per worker training)
for just one month. Finally, we
were forced to close both
centres. Now we are training
just for our own factory’s
requirement but this is not a
solution as far as whole industry
is concerned. If Government
is really serious about the
employment generation
which is very much possible
by apparel manufacturing
industry, Government should
support industry and work in
collaboration with the industry.
I would like to add one more
thing here, the companies
using latest machines and who
believe in manufacturing quality
products, are facing much heat
over less availability of skilled
workers.
Yogeeta Prabhakar,
MD, Prabhakar Overseas
Group of Companies,
Noida
Certain Government policy
changes have made drastic
changes in the labour availability
as market is facing recession,
but scale of wages is still high
and many exporters aren’t
able to manufacture on buyer
target prices which leads to
difficult competition with the
neighbouring competing
countries, such as Vietnam,
China and Bangladesh. We are
facing decline in production,
and in order to cover up
this gap, we have to import
machinery to replace labour
cost to beat the target pricing
for buyers and stores in US and
UK markets. I would clearly say
that the apparel exports have
not shown growth as per industry
expectations, but we are still
8 Apparel Online India | MAY 1-15, 2018 | www.apparelresources.com
trying to match the expectation
which is a big task. Even the MEIS
have been reduced.
Cornelia Bosman,
Director, OpenHand
(Community Crafts
Exports), Delhi
My concern is not how to recruit
staff but how to retain them!
There are two types of staff:
Those who stay because of pay;
and those who stay regardless
of pay, but who favour a good
working environment. We
struggle to find staff who fit the
latter (regardless of skill). But
when we do find them, we cling
to them (trusting to enhance
their skill levels). With one crore
unemployed people in a state
like UP alone, I don’t understand
how there can possibly be a
need for labour. Yet I do feel
there is a shortage. More skilled
labour is required and will take
time to build up. ‘Rome was
not built in a day’, we say. Also
keep in mind the past year’s
economic difficulties, growth
pains of a new developing
country.
If you wanted to employ
more staff you simply could
not, compared to the growth
forecasts for this coming year.
I am always reminded that
employing one man feeds an
entire family. When I employ
one person, I think of all the
people dependent on him.
I have the highest respect
for the average Indian who
spends every rupee earned
to marry off sisters, daughters,
cousins, spend money on births,
funerals and the endless such
expenditures. India needs more
labour, more skilled labour
and more entrepreneurs to
honour and help the man I
described above.
Pawan Aarya, Assistant
Vice President (IE and
Technical), Orient Craft,
Noida
At Orient Craft we do not face
labour availability issues even
when the whole industry is
starving for skilled manpower.
Paying for facilities like
double overtime, attendance
bonus, pleasant work place,
scholarships for the education
of workers’ children, workshops
on women empowerment and
many more worker welfare
schemes are helping us to
retain workers. I observe that
there is no increase in worker
availability in NCR as such
due to MGNREGA. Besides,
many State Governments are
inviting exporters with attractive
schemes which is resulting in
migrant labour is getting job
opportunities nearer to their
home town.