Many factories in Karnataka have been shut post-Covid which has resulted in the loss of jobs for the workers mainly in the garment industry.
24th Jan, 2023
Legislative council data shows that in 2020-2021 approximately 800 factories were shut down in Karnataka that affects 47000 people who lost their jobs. Workers in the factories find it difficult to work and they don’t even have job security in the industries.
Rashmi Ramesh, a worker from the garment industry says, “I am working in the garment industry. We are doing the job but we don’t have any kind of security in that job. Earlier I used to work in Kumbalgudu industry but due to covid the industry gets closed and almost more than 1000 employees lost their job.”
The Department of Commerce official says that out of 47000 people, 32000 people are mainly from the garment industry who lost their jobs.
Dr. Nirmala, Chairperson from the Department of Commerce says, “The loss during the Covid was such that most of the industries will not open again. Where do you expect exports to be done at that time, where we have the connectivity, and everything is closed. There was no purchase, no liquidity of money, and no circulation.”
The State’s New Textile and Garment Industry Policy aims to generate 5 lakhs of new employment in the next 5 years and attract investments worth INR 10000 crore. But employees are complaining that nothing of that sort happened yet.
Ratnamma, an employee from the Workers Union says, “Most of the women went back to their native place after the layoff and also most of the women were the only earners as their husband don’t take responsibility for the house and the education of their children. The government did not provide any facilities or incentives for the garment industry people mainly, most of them don’t receive the PFs also.”
