Free Trade Zone (FTZ) or Export Processing Zone (EPZ) is a particular area of a country where roughly normal trade barriers such as taxes and tariffs are removed and government administrative and business requirements are lowered in hopes of attracting new and foreign business and investments. These area are important aspect of export development strategy, stimulated by the IMF and World Bank. This strategy is leading to “liberalization” of the economy of developing countries. In South Asia, many FTZ and EPZ are located in Bangladesh, India, Pakistan, and Sri Lanka.

Like FTZs in many other countries, the Free Trade Zones in Sri Lanka is providing new infrastructure, range of special services and benefits as well as tax incentives to foreign investors. Beneficially, it creates employment among local people living in the areas and nearby provinces. However, the establishment of Sri Lankan free trade zones, especially in the textile and garment sector, has had dreadful significant concerns for the Sri Lankans workers. The factories and establishments in these industrial zones are failing to respect the basic labor rights of the workers in terms of just wages, job security, hours of works, holidays, and social benefits and declining working conditions of workers.

Poor general public transport system for workers

“My name is Rashmi, I am 40 years old living in Munnakkara village, Negombo. I am working in packaging section in Lanka Hand Gloves Company. With my work, I am receiving SL Rupees 35,000 (USD 106.6) for my monthly salary. I am working for more than 15 years. I am a widower, my husband died in an accident at work. I works for 8 hours a day, but I need to leave home at 7:00 o’clock in the morning and come back home at 7:00 o’clock in the evening. I spent more than 4 hours in the road travelling every day.”

Third party hiring (agency) in rural villages and poor living conditions of workers

In Sri Lanka there are many man power agents or broker that are recruiting workers from the village to work in Export Processing Zones and they charge high commissions from workers. Most of the workers coming from villages are with low level of education up until high school. The workers are staying in the hostel with minimum facilities.

Difficulties of planning the future and building own family

For many workers, the salary is not sufficient enough to fill up their basic needs, to have savings and prepare future plans. “I am Mithila, 25 years old and I am married. I am working in a garment factory as an inspector while my husband is a painter. Like Rashmi, I live quite far from my work which is in the other city. I need to leave very early in the morning and arrived home late and tired. Even the two us (with her husband) are working, our income is not enough for us. I am thinking that when I will have my first born child, I think it will be more difficult. At the moment, it is also difficult for us to save money because our income is only enough for our daily living.”

Uncompensated accident benefits and lack of quality education

“My name is Shakila Perera and I am 28 years old. In 2012, I started to work in the factory of tea powder and chips. My job was to put the label in each product for almost five years. But then I met an accident in my workplace but the company did not take responsibility on it. I resigned in 2017 in my work. That time my salary is 22,000 SR (USD 67) per month. At the moment, I am married with one child. My mother is a migrant worker working in Dubai and she is helping us to provide a living. I only finished my secondary school and did not went to college because my family cannot afford it.”

Looking for a greener pasture in the other country

“I am Sharon and I am 23 years old. Currently I am working in a Swedish owned factory in EPZA as logistician. My dream is to go to South Korea to work, because I feel that here in Sri Lanka, my career development is quite low and the income is very low. I am a bread winner in the family, for I have one younger sibling. My mother works in an ice cream factory and my father is a fisherman.”

What lies ahead for the young women workers?

Around the world, many young women workers have experience being exploited, discriminated, and oppressed in the factories. Most society’s looked at “women” as fragile, weak and vulnerable human beings. But in fact, women have a crucial and significant contribution in social, political and economic development of a country and all over the world.

YCW-Sri Lanka and the IYCW believes that today’s women can continue the struggle of the past women activists inside and outside of the movement. It is the commitment of the organization to continue its raising awareness program and educating for both young men and women, since it is crucial to achieving equality and breaking the stereotypes in our societies. YCW Sri Lanka is providing safe spaces where women can speak up, be heard and empowered as contribution for their personal development and capacity building

Call of Action

On-going actions and campaigns are important to be strengthened from the base groups up until at international level. Le the voice of the women be heard for equal recognition of women to have equal access to social protection, safe working spaces, equal job opportunities, just wage and quality education. 

Concluding, the existence of women is significantly important as men. The impact of men in our societies is the same as the impact of women. Empowering young women workers and promoting women’s workers right is a fundamental key to achieving a more peaceful, balanced earth.