Business
Female apparel workers demand dignity and recognition
Female apparel workers commended the efforts taken by the country’s apparel industry to ensure the wellbeing of the workforce which makes the biggest contributions to Sri Lanka’s economy.
The female representatives of the Sri Lanka Chamber of Garment Exporters (SLCGE), member of Joint Apparel Association Forum, made these remarks during a press conference held in Colombo on the occasion of International Women’s Day. The press conference focused on the welfare and betterment of the living standards of women engaged in various occupations in the apparel industry in Sri Lanka and the representatives emphasized the importance of taking steps not to limit the recognition of the role of women in the garment industry, the biggest strength of the national economy of the country, to Women’s Day.
Women make up about 85% of the workforce in the apparel industry in Sri Lanka, especially in the rural areas and is one of the key employment generating sectors to strengthen the economy of women. A female apparel worker said that the garment industry in Sri Lanka has become a leading partner in the flow of women’s employment, creating hundreds of thousands of jobs for women and giving them the opportunity to play a leading role in the country’s economy.
It was also noted that the apparel industry itself is significantly contributing to the uplifting of the living standards of women involved in it while working towards enhancing their lifestyle.
Many women delegates who attended the press conference were of the view that women in the garment industry have a high standard of living and play a dignified role in strengthening their economy and improving the lives of their family members.
“The media, teledramas etc. always showcase the female workers in the apparel industry as an underprivileged and less fortunate group of people. This is not entirely true,” a representative said.
“The women in the garment industry have the opportunity to successfully strengthen their future by receiving promotions and pay rises based on the quality of their work, and the opportunities and privileges available to them are immeasurable,” an apparel worker said.
In the garment industry, mainly dominated by females, employers pay special attention to their problems and make a significant contribution to making their economy self-sufficient by providing incentives, attendance allowances and other benefits in addition to the monthly salary, free uniforms, transportation, etc.
A spokeswoman for the apparel industry said that the entertainment, annual outings and free meals were a big boost.
The speakers also commended the management of the garment industry for taking necessary steps to address the day-to-day economic problems of their employees and taking steps to pay the salaries and other incentives on time, even during the COVID-19 pandemic which has greatly affected the industries around the world. The women delegates who participated in the event highly commended the employers for focusing more on the health of their employees, adhering to the rules and regulations imposed by the Ministry of Health during the pandemic times, and for setting the stage for the continuation of the manufacturing process and securing their jobs. The garment workers also expressed their gratitude to the management for setting up special quarantine centers for their employees who have been infected with COVID-19, and also their close associates.
While the whole world celebrated Women’s Day, the apparel workers in Sri Lanka were of the view that the value, importance and the attention given to women should not be limited to just one day.
They added that it should be the same throughout the year and that the government should intervene to secure the role of women in this patriarchal society. The importance of creating an institution in the garment industry for women to pursue higher education relevant to their occupations was also emphasized.
“On media all you see is the condemning of the professional dignity of women entering the garment industry. Through works of art and other means of media, it is necessary to give a correct picture and take steps to avoid that situation,” the women delegates who attended the press conference added.
By Hiran H Senewiratne
CSE trading kicked off on a positive note yesterday but the momentum could not be sustained for long owing to investor worries that the government is planning domestic debt restructuring involving the imposition of a wealth and heritage tax on citizens, market sources said.
Amid those developments both indices moved downwards. The All -Share Price Index went down by 131 points and S and P SL-20 declined by 46.8 points. Turnover stood at Rs 3.4 billion with four crossings. Those crossings were reported in Agalawattte Plantations, which crossed 45.3 million shares to the tune of Rs 1.5 billion, its shares traded at Rs 35, CTC 420,000 shares crossed for Rs 269 million and its shares traded at Rs 640, Cargills 100,000 shares crossed to the tune of Rs 24.5 million; its shares traded at Rs 245 and Hayleys 300,000 shares crossed for Rs 24 million; its shares traded at Rs 80.
In the retail market top seven companies that mainly contributed to the turnover were, SLT Rs 234 million (two million shares traded), Hayleys RS 121 million (1.5 million shares traded), Lanka IOC Rs 106 million (115,000 shares traded), Softlogic Capital Rs 69 million (5.6 million shares traded), CTC Rs 65.3 million (101,000 shares traded), Sampath Bank RS 54.7 million (one million shares traded) and Commercial Bank RS 52.5 million (801,000 shares traded).During the day 164 million share volumes changed hands in 20000 transactions.
Business
Brandix ‘RightToRead’ initiative gains momentum enriching Sri Lanka students and transforming learning
Inspired by the challenge to provide Sri Lankan children with better access to learning materials and the transformative power to read and comprehend English, Brandix launched the ‘RightToRead’ project in 2018 in collaboration with the Ministry of Education.
Accordingly, Brandix introduced the ‘ReadToMe’ English learning tool, created by English Helper – India, to improve reading and comprehension skills of Sri Lankan students. Last Monday, Julie Chung, the US Ambassador to Sri Lanka, visited Susamayawardhana Vidyalaya in Borella, to observe progress of the project and experience how children and educators in Sri Lanka engage with educational technology.
Brandix Lanka Limited, Director, Ajit Johnpillai, said: “Education is the most powerful tool to enrich communities and futures, and Brandix is committed to build a strong foundation for transformational learning for students across Sri Lanka. The progress we have made with RiteToRead over the past two years is promising, and the potential for change in the education sector harnessing such digital technologies is immeasurable. Brandix will continue its commitment to deliver Inspired Solutions for the people of Sri Lanka.”
Hytera, a leading global provider of professional communications technologies and solutions, is proud to announce the successful deployment of a new backup satellite station for Dialog TV, Sri Lanka’s No.1 satellite Pay TV service provider. The project was fulfilled in 2022 by Hytera and its subsidiary specialized in Satellite Communications (SatCom), Norsat International Inc. The new station enhances the resilience and capacity of Dialog TV’s existing system and ensures continuity of service in the event of damage due to natural disasters.
Dialog TV provides coverage over the entirety of Sri Lanka through the Intelsat 38 Ku-band satellite. As the business expanded, it opted for a backup solution to support its existing satellite station and to strengthen the network’s disaster tolerance.
Hytera and Norsat provided an end-to-end satellite earth station solution that includes the installation, integration, and setup of satellite antennas, a transmission and receiving system, a new network management system (NMS), and a carrier monitoring system (CMS). The NMS makes routine work easier and simpler for on-duty staff, as equipment status, parameter monitoring and configuration, and remote control of the devices can be viewed and accomplished via a single interface. The CMS monitors the carrier spectrum status of satellite signals in real-time and ensures stable signal transmission and receiving.
“We are excited to have been able to work with Dialog TV on this important project,” said Kevin Sun, Sales Director for Hytera South Asia, “Our ability to seamlessly integrate our new equipment and software with Dialog TV’s existing systems has helped to ensure a stable and reliable service for their millions of customers across Sri Lanka.”
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