'Clothing industry healthy, but could change in two months' – Mr Dais

02 Mar '09

2 min read

According to Mr Ajith Dias, President, Joint apparels association Forum, around 40,000 workers have already been laid off in the garment industry, with around 50 units downing their shutters, but the unions do not seem to be still living in a fairyland, since they are still not able to grasp the full impact and reality of the global crisis.

Commenting on the precarious situation he added by saying, “In comparison to other countries, the domestic garment industry is still healthy, but things could change for the worse in a month or two. The apparel industry is going through one of its worst periods, but the union leaders do not seem to realize the same”.

The union leaders on their part allege that the garment manufacturers were blowing the crisis out of proportion and trying to reduce benefits given to workers. They said the order position was still healthy and effects of the global crisis were yet to touch the industry, but industry was trying to take advantage of the situation.

The Labour Commissioner responding to the allegations of the union's said, “the unions were not aware of the actual position and this was not the correct time to bring out in to the open labour disputes and related issues”. He denied that units were reducing benefits; however, he could not give the exact figure of lay-offs in the industry

Fibre2fashion News Desk - India