Jobs for women: Punjab textile cos launch drive

The textile industry of Punjab, the largest in the organised sector in the state, engaging about 700,000 people, has launched a special drive to motivate women to work in textile mills to meet the labour crunch.

The corporate entities have decided to reach out to the employable womenfolk in hinterland to disseminate information about the employment opportunities and good working condition in the mills.

The textile units of Punjab are expecting to benefit from the rule of the state government that allows women labour to work for three shifts.

The government decision inspired by the ruling of Chennai High Court that permits textile units to hire women for three shifts can go a long way to tackle the labour crunch in the state.

The textile sector is confronted with about 30 per cent of labour shortage in the state. The leading textile houses of Punjab plan to push the strength of women labourers from present 30 per cent to 70 per cent in the next few years.

The largest and the oldest textile player of Punjab, Vardhman group has put up three 'Orientation Centres' one each in the districts of Ludhiana, Hoshiarpur and Bhatinda for the attitudinal and behavioural training of the prospective employees.

According to J L Sharma, Managing Director of Vardhman Group, these centres would address to the need of changing the attitude of women for working in mills in all three shifts on rotation basis.

He added that the centres would be located to cover the clusters of villages to mobilise the women from EWS (economically weaker section) and BPL (below poverty line families).

"The men in Punjab abhor working in shop floor and the migratory labour has an option to work in their own states due to opportunities in infrastructure sector and social welfare schemes. So the women in Punjab can play a vital role in running the textile mills. This would also help in mitigating poverty in hinterland and women empowerment," he added.

He told that the state government has been facilitator in mobilising the village sarpanches to identify arrange interactions with the rural women. The state can play a larger role to spread awareness about safe working condition for women in textile mills, he added.

The Group CEO of Saluja Exports, V K Goyal told that they have about 30 per cent strength of women workers in their mills and expect to raise it. He added that the company has in-house residence facility for female workers.

"We have hostel for 600 women and plan to expand it".He added that garmenting units in Ludhiana already had good number of women and this can be replicated in yarn manufacturing too.

The Trident group having operations in Barnala too has hostel facilities for female workers and envisages to benefit from the new guidelines.

The female workers are more focused and they do not indulge into unionism, so most of the millers prefer them over men.