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Article

1 Apr 2020

Author:
Anuradha Nagaraj, Thomson Reuters Foundation

India: Thousands of migrant garment workers stranded in cramped factory hostels amid lockdown

"Coronavirus threatens Indian garment workers stranded in factory housing", 30 March 2020

The coronavirus pandemic has left tens of thousands of Indian garment workers stranded in cramped accommodation on factory premises where social distancing is difficult to put into practice, labour rights campaigners said...

A three-week nationwide lockdown has left an estimated 300,000 workers in India's multi-billion dollar garment stuck in factory hostels where rooms are shared by up to a dozen people.

Most manufacturing units and spinning mills in the southern state of Tamil Nadu are closed - those supplying to hospitals remain open - leaving workers in close proximity and raising concerns that they could unknowingly be spreading the virus...

About 40,000 garment factories and spinning mills operate in Tamil Nadu, with many running hostels on their premises to house their staff - most of whom are young women and migrant workers...

The Southern India Mills' Association... representing about 500 factories... has... instructed members to ensure all workers on their premises are given due care... [and] is urging its members to pay their workers at least half of their wages while closed. The federal government and Tamil Nadu state have instructed factories to pay salaries during the lockdown, and provide workers with food and shelter...