Job loss fear looms again as govt. asks garment units to close

Industry supports close to 8 lakh employees in Karnataka

Just when the garment industry, which supports close to 8 lakh employees in Karnataka, had started receiving good orders in the last few months, the State government’s order for closure is expected to hit those dependent on the industry harder. Most of the employees, who had been severely affected during the 2020 lockdown, are yet to receive their salaries for the lockdown period, and this is expected to continue during the current restrictions too. “Barring employees in a few industries, employees in most garment industries did not receive wages between March 25, 2020 and May 23, 2020. Those who reported to work on May 4 received about 50% salaries and in a few cases full salaries. However, a large section of the workforce could not join work after May 4 as there was no public transport,” Garment and Textile Workers’ Union president Jayaram said.