- JAAF cautions additional stress, together with wage enhance, might exacerbate difficulty
- TU says garment staff dissatisfied with stagnant salaries
Sri Lanka’s attire trade is experiencing a downturn, with the export efficiency within the current months not being on the anticipated ranges.
The Joint Attire Affiliation Discussion board (JAAF) stated that the present efficiency is monitoring just like final 12 months, which was US $ 4.5 billion, down some 20 % from 2022.
“The largest problem to our exports is pricing, as Sri Lanka stays uncompetitive within the area,” JAAF Secretary Basic Yohan Lawrence instructed Mirror Enterprise.
Pricing stays probably the most important hurdle for Sri Lanka’s attire exports, because the neighbouring nations provide extra engaging charges.
He cautioned that any additional stress, together with a rise within the wages, might exacerbate the difficulty, making it even more durable for Sri Lanka to compete on the worldwide stage.
In the meantime, Free Commerce Zones and Basic Providers Staff Union Joint Secretary Anton Marcus shared that the garment sector staff are dissatisfied, because of the stagnant fundamental salaries. In contrast to the opposite sectors, the place the wages have elevated, the garment staff haven’t seen comparable changes, resulting in rising frustration among the many workers he stated.
The newest wage enhance was seen within the plantation sector, the place the federal government approval was given to extend the day by day wages by 70 %.
In response to Marcus, the garment sector workers draw a fundamental wage of Rs.16,000.
In 2022, the Nationwide Labour Advisory Council and employers agreed to lift the minimal wage to Rs.21,000. Nonetheless, regardless of the eventual Cupboard approval, the funds haven’t been made, as a consequence of a scarcity of amendments to the present act, he stated, noting that because of this, the garment staff’ fundamental salaries stay at Rs.16,000.
“The garment trade staff are very important to Sri Lanka’s export financial system. The current wage enhance for the tea and rubber staff, elevating their day by day earnings to Rs.1,700, highlights important wage disparities throughout the industries regulated by the Wages Board,” he stated.
“Staff are requesting time beyond regulation funds for garment staff however the employers have halted them, citing a scarcity of orders. Because of this, many garment workers have resigned, unable to maintain themselves on their present salaries,” added Marcus.
Noting that the trade wages are set by the Wages Board for the garment trade and the Nationwide Minimal Wage Act, the JAAF identified that the Cupboard has already authorised a 40 % enhance within the Nationwide Minimal Wage Act. Accordingly, firms have executed their annual increments for the present 12 months, in step with these laws.
(Inputs from CPS)
