A Garment Factory in Thulushdoo Island in the Maldives employing Sri Lankans
A Garment Factory in Thulushdoo
Island in the Maldives employing Sri Lankans
Figure 1Thulushdoo
Island in the Maldives
Thulushdoo Island in the Maldives is situated
26.81 km from Male. The island is about 1.6 km long & 0.65 km wide. It is
accessed by ferry in 1 1/2 hours or by speedboat in 1/2 an hour.
This is where a garment factory was established
1n 1985 with an all-Sri Lankan staff. The Factory Manager, Production Managers,
Supervisors, Machine Operators, Helpers, Cooks etc. were all from Sri
Lanka.
The 1985 Country Report on Human Rights
submitted to the Foreign Affairs Committee of the US House of Representatives
describes the labour environment in the Maldives in the following terms:
The environment was tailor made for exploitation of workers. It is therefore not surprising that the same report highlights the plight of workers as follows:
The nature of the abuse, though not specified, was generally as follows:
1.workers being called upon to work till late into the night
2.targets fixed in such a way that hardly any worker could complete their given tasks even in ten hours
3. salaries not paid in time & generally paid several months later
The factory was the brainchild of a member of a North Indian family, domiciled in Japan & engaged in the textile business. He had come to Sri Lanka, when the garment industry was being promoted & set up a small factory in a suburb of Colombo. Whilst in Sri Lanka, he decided to set up the factory in Thulushdoo Island, employing about 300 workers from Sri Lanka.
In time, he appointed a Director from Sri Lanka to manage both factories from the company Head Office in Colombo, while a Maldivian Director, operating from an office in Male, looked after import & export activities & compliance with Maldivian regulations. No Maldivians were employed in the Thulushdoo factory. Thereafter, he, as the Chairman of the company made periodical visits to Sri Lanka & left the management of the company to the Director based in Colombo but monitored the key result areas from his base in Singapore.
The Maldivian Government does not appear to have taken serious notice of the worker abuse referred to above & may have cautioned the Maldivian Director of the company. However, complaints did trickle into Sri Lanka through some of those who returned prematurely on various grounds, & the Foreign Employment Bureau (FEB) directed the company to recruit workers through a recognized Recruiting Agency. It may be noted that in the early stages of the garment industry in Sri Lanks there were complaints of exploitation here too.
At this stage, the factory did not have the full complement of workers.
Accordingly in 1988, a Recruiting Agency was selected to recruit workers for the Thulushdoo factory. It was agreed that the number of working hours will be ten, subject to completion of the targets set. Those who sought employment at the factory were first tested at the Head Office Sample Room, interviewed by the Personnel Manager, who explained to them the working conditions at the factory, & referred those selected to the Recruiting Agency. There they had to undergo a medical test & if found suitable, registered at the FEB, & arrangements made to send them to the factory. The plus points at the factory were that meals & accommodation were reasonably good, & female workers were quite safe & secure.
With the passage of time, working conditions improved, salaries were still paid around two months later, but those who returned prematurely or on completion of their contracts received their dues prior to departure. The factory was able to recruit the workers required for its operations. The Chairman was able to secure more & more orders for the factory through his contacts.
The factory had a dynamic young Factory Manager who contributed largely to its success along with the Director based in Colombo.
There were still complaints, but the Recruiting Agency was now involved in interceding on behalf of those who had genuine complaints.
Around 1992, the company also arranged to recruit a batch of Machine Operators
from Bangladesh for the Thulushdoo factory. In Bangladesh, workers were
recruited at a younger age & therefore they were more experienced than the
Sri Lankan workers by the time they entered their twenties. They were also
cheaper.
It was also around this time that a dispute occurred between the Chairman &
Colombo based Director on the latter's entitlements. The latter had drawn
certain funds from the company officially based on an assurance he claimed was
given by the Chairman. However, the Chairman disputed it, & a
complaint was made to the Police. The Director was either removed or resigned
on his own. The amount involved was not very large & the matter should
have been resolved amicably.
The fallout from this dispute was that in a few years' time the Thulushdoo factory
had to close down. It is surprising that with all the resources at his command,
the Chairman did not wish to expand the Colombo factory & this too suffered
the same fate later. On the other hand, some of the Sri Lankan entrepreneurs
who entered the garment industry in Sri Lanka at the same time, are still in
business employing several thousand workers at each of their factories.
End
References
Country
Reports on Human Rights Practices for 1985: Report Submitted to the ... -
Google Books
Country Reports on Human Rights
Practices for 1985: Report Submitted to the .Committee on Foreign Affairs US
House of Represehtatives
https://books.google.lk/books?id=qzMPAAAAYAAJ&pg=PA1321&lpg=PA1321&dq=Garment+factory+in+thulusdhoo+island+maldives+1985&source=bl&ots=yHeYQc725D&sig=ACfU3U2YLXXbR1Ljs8c7BkVRNbVYVosJ5g&hl=en&sa=X&ved=2ahUKEwjZhc-nvMyDAxXLR2wGHV98Ayk4HhDoAXoECAAQAQ#v=onepage&q=Garment%20factory%20in%20thulusdhoo%20island%20maldives%201985&f=false
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