Diwali is a time-honoured occasion for Indian factories to present sweets and gifts to their employees and workers, a tradition followed annually by nearly all apparel manufacturing units. However, this year, two prominent apparel manufacturing units faced protests from their workers.
The first incident took place in Noida where workers were unhappy due to alleged ‘humiliation’. In a show of collective frustration, workers threw the given sweet boxes in front of the factory, shouting slogans against the management. A few workers went further, tossing sweet boxes inside the factory as well. This ruckus led to a traffic jam outside the facility and videos of the incident quickly went viral on social media.
Speaking anonymously, a factory official explained that workers were upset due to perceived discrimination since different types of sweets were given to different groups, leaving some employees feeling humiliated. A mid-level official from the same factory acknowledged the oversight, attributing it to the HR team’s failure to treat all workers equally.
A similar issue occurred a few years ago at the company’s Gurgaon unit. It’s worth noting that this company, with several factories in NCR and Bangalore, collaborates with numerous global brands and retailers.
In a separate incident in Bhopal, another leading export house also witnessed the agitation of workers. The workers protested as they were allegedly not given a bonus on Diwali even though it was allegedly promised to them nearly a year ago. A large number of women workers were also involved in the agitation. It was also reported that there was a physical altercation between the security guards and the workers. Headquartered in Bangalore, this company is among the top apparel export houses of India.
The company’s response will be updated here as and when it is received.
Meanwhile, for most industry professionals, Diwali celebrations proceeded as usual, with gifts and sweets distributed as in previous years.
