Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Saturday, Oct 13, 2007
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Online edition of India's National Newspaper Saturday, Oct 13, 2007 ePaper |
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Tamil Nadu
SIVAKASI: Manpower shortage and mushrooming of illegal cracker units have spoiled an otherwise buoyant Deepavali market for the fireworks industry this year. The industry, with 550 units in and around Sivakasi, is short of 20-30 per cent of its workforce. The demand-supply gap has widened correspondingly, according to industrialists. The free accommodation and food at workplace offered by the garment units of Tirupur and Coimbatore have lured the workers from here. “We are ready to offer higher salary. Still, we are not able to find qualified persons even for office work,” says A.P. Selvarajan, leading manufacturer and president of the Tamil Nadu Fireworks and Amorces Manufacturers’ Association. Migration of women workers, in the age group of 18-21, has hit the industry hard. “The lump sum money (around Rs. 30,000) given to the workers of garment units at the end of the three-year contract (under the ‘sumangali’ scheme) is the biggest attraction for women, coming as it does handy for their marriage expenses. It is these women who do the finer works like making garlands (1,000 wala and 10,000 wala crackers) with much patience,” says another manufacturer V. Kesavan. However, the only hope of the workers returning to the fireworks units, he says, is the increasing rupee value, which has forced the garment units to retrench workers. Mr. Selvarajan feels that the mushrooming of illegal units too has eaten into the workforce. Such units are found in and around Vembakottai. “Families with four-five members, who used to work for us, are now working at their homes. It is a profitable venture. They manage to sell their products, sometimes at a price on a par with that of ours,” Mr. Kesavan says. “It seems that it pays to be off the record [doing illegal business]. Whereas we pay taxes over 30 per cent, they stand to gain more,” says another industrialist G. Athipathy. He wants the authorities to check these units. Otherwise, the system should be reformed so that taxes are uniform without anyone enjoying exemption. Most of the leading manufacturers could not produce the full range of products owing to manpower shortage. “Our production pattern is based on the available workforce,” Mr. Selvarajan points out. Making the most of the demand-supply gap, those selling cheaper crackers have increased their price substantially, though the prices of the premium products of the leading manufacturers have gone up only marginally.
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