Knitwear units resume production after 43 days

“Industrial units were desperately waiting for this day to resume production. Over the last two days, the units went into preparation mode. Having remained idle all these days, there seems to be some positive vibe among the exporters now,” said S Sakthivel, executive secretary of Tirupur Exporters Association (TEA).

Though textile units in Corporation limits were permitted to have 30 per cent of workers and 50 per cent in rural areas, the workers’ turnout was lesser than expected due to lack of transportation facilities.

“Most of the workers hailing from other parts of the State are yet to return. Most women employees abstained from duty as they were unable to come. Industrial units are mulling about organising pick and drop facility for such workers. Things are likely to get back to normal in a few of days,” he added.

On day one, most of the firms started completing pending works such as packing of already made garments. They also adhered to the standard operating procedures laid down by the government and district administration.

“Industrial units followed all health protocols like testing the temperature of workers, hand washing, wearing of masks and ensured their social distancing,” said Sakthivel.

With export sector resuming operations, the 5,000 odd units in the district are also hoping to begin work in the coming days.

“Exporting industries rely on these units for knitting, embroidery, printing and dyeing. These units cannot comply with eight hours shift from 9 am to 5 pm as their processing requires a 24-hour routine. More than 50,000 workers into are now jobless,” said MP Muthurathinam, president of Tirupur Exporters And Manufacturers Association (TEAMA).

In the past fiscal, the Tirupur knitwear cluster made an export of knitwear garments worth Rs 26,000 crore and garments for domestic consumption worth Rs 24,000 crore. Having already lost the summer exports, the knitwear sector in Tirupur has so far been hit by a loss of about Rs 8,000 crore and more than six lakh labourers were affected by pandemic.