SRI LANKA: KILINOCHOCHI GARMENT WORKERS DENOUNCE HARS WORKING CONDITIONS AND ISSUES WITH MAS HOLDINGS CORPORATION:
Workers from MAS Active Vaanavil and MAS Intimates, (two factories in Sri Lanka’s war-ravaged north), recently spoke with World Socialist Web Site reporters about their sweatshop conditions. The plants, owned by MAS Holdings, (a multinational garment corporation), are in Arviyal Nagar, seven kilometres from Kilinochchi. MAS Holdings employs about 95,000 people, mainly women, in 53 plants across 17 countries, including Haiti, Bangladesh, Indonesia, Honduras, Jordan, Vietnam and the US. MAS Holdings is one of Sri Lankas largest apparel manufacturers employing 70,000 workers in 40 facilities. The company produces for brands like Victoria's Secret, Marks & Spencer and Calvin Klein.
The two factories in Vaanavil and Vidiyal employ over 4,000 workers, aged between 18 and 30, from three northern districts—Jaffna, Kilinochchi and Mullaithivu. Because there are no nearby boarding facilities, the workers are transported from their villages each day, leaving home at 5.30 a.m. to work from 7.30 a.m. to 5.30 p.m. A bus driver told the WSWS there were only 23 vehicles to transport workers, so between 100 and 110 workers were crowded onto each bus. Overtime is compulsory, depending on company requirements, so some workers do not return home until 11 p.m. Most production is performed by women, some of whom have to stand next to machines for the whole working day. Daily production targets in one part of the Vaanavil plant have been doubled to 120 pieces of shirt sleeves per worker.
Workers said the cheap food supplied at the factories was substandard. Many employees suffer from physical and psychological complaints, including swelling, spinal and joint pain and varicose veins. Some female workers complained that some colleagues had miscarriages because of the extended time they must stand. Workers who feel ill are not allowed to leave the factories to see a doctor. MAS runs a chemist dispensary on the premises but the only drugs available are paracetamol and amoxicillin. Workers suffering critical illnesses are seen by external doctors inside the factory. Women are allowed just three months’ maternity leave for their first and second children, and 45 days for a third child. When the MAS plants opened in Kilinochchi workers were paid only 9,500 rupees ($US75) per month. After several increases they now receive 21,000 rupees but only if they reach production targets. The lack of money made it hard for the workers to survive and get enough food and living supplies to keep their families healthy and fed.
A 22-year-old worker said she had been working for MAS for one year. 'I’m working standing on one leg and operating the machine with the other leg. I suffer from heel swelling and chest and back pain, with most of my day spent in the factory. My monthly income, including overtime, is only 18,000 rupees. There is no leave, even if you’re sick, and if you do take leave the 2,000-rupee attendance allowance is deducted from your salary. Women working in the printing section are prone to miscarriages because of the unusual heat of the machines. Production from our factory is exported to America and Europe. If we can’t meet the production targets we’re scolded with filthy words by the management. Some people left the job because of this behaviour. There are only 16 workers in our section but we have to complete 1,500 to 1,800 items per day.'
The young woman said only one of the two air conditioners in her area functioned and workers were only provided with low-quality face masks each week. Numbers of workers suffered from respiratory problems and constantly sneezed. Another worker said she was affected by dust and was receiving medical treatment. The 25-year-old explained that her seven-member family lived in a two-room house provided by an Indian charity. A villager who lived near the Vaanavil plant spoke of the pollution from the facility. 'Four years back the company began recycling the human waste and established a drainage unit. This has now been abandoned and the wastewater is collected in a huge hole there.'
References:
1. https://www.wsws.org/en/articles/2018/05/22/kili-m22.html
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