Question

13. Competition and Uncertain Employment
Globalisation and the pressure of competition have substantially changed the lives of
workers. Faced with growing competition, most employers these days prefer to employ
workers flexibly'. This means that workers' jobs are no longer secure.
Large MNCs in the garment industry in Europe and America order their products from
Indian exporters. These large MNCs with worldwide network look for the cheapest goods in
order to maximise their profits. To get these large orders, Indian garment exporters try hard
to cut their own costs. As cost of raw materials cannot be reduced, exporters try to cut
labour costs. Where earlier a factory used to employ workers on a permanent basis, now
they employ workers only on a temporary basis so that they do not have to pay workers
for the whole year. Workers also have to put in very long working hours and work night
shifts on a regular basis during the peak season Wages are low and workers are forced to
work overtime to make both ends meet.
While this competition among the garment exporters has allowed the MNCs to make
large profits, workers are denied their fair share of benefits brought about by globalisation.
Let us see how the workers in the garment export industry in India are having to bear this
pressure of competition.
35 year old Sushila has spent many years as a worker in garment export industry of Delhi.
She was employed as a 'permanent worker' entitled to health insurance, provident fund,
overtime at a double rate, when Sushilo's factory closed in the late 1990s. After searching
for a job for six months, she finally got a job 30 km. away from where she lives. Even after
working in this factory for several years, she is a temporary worker and earns less than half
of what she was earning earlier. Sushila leaves her house every morning, seven days a
week at 7:30 a.m. and returns at 10 p.m. A day off from work means no wage. She has
none of the benefits she used to get earlier. Factories closer to her home have widely
fluctuating orders and therefore pay even less.
Questions:
1. Why do Indian garment exporters try to cut labour costsą
2. What are the working conditions of the workers to make both ends meet?
3. What was Sushila's employment condition before the shut down of the garment
factory?
4. What is the reason for the suffering of Sushila?​

Answer 1

Answer:

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Explanation:

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