Guest workers trickle in as industrial units restart operations in Coimbatore

COIMBATORE: Guest workers, who had left for their home states amid the Covid-19 pandemic, have started returning in batches.
While the trend has brought smiles to their faces, businessmen here said that they are making arrangements to bring all the workers back.
R Surendran, who is running an industrial unit with half of his employees, is making arrangements to bring back 12 employees within a day or two. “Buses are charging about Rs 4,000 to transport a person from Patna to the city. Even though it is an additional expense, we have no other option but to shell out as we are completely dependent on guest workers,” he told TOI.
“Unlike the previous lockdown when the workers were reluctant to return, this time, they are all willing to return and have been asking us to make arrangements for their return journey.”
Most of the trains operated from the northern parts of the country to the district are full, said M V Ramesh Babu, president of Coimbatore District Small Industries Association (Codissia). “There are no train tickets available for the next one month. As bus tickets have become expensive and it is not advisable to travel in closed environment for days together, we request the railway board to operate trains that were cancelled ahead of the lockdown, and to operate special trains to bring back workers,” he said,
“It is difficult to resume full-fledged operations without guest workers. The pressure to deliver products on time is tremendous. More than half of the labourers working in foundries, engineering industries, processing industries and even spinning mills are from the northern states. It is because of the lack of willingness of local labourers to work in such industries,” Ramesh added.
Most of the industries, especially micro industries, are under financial distress and are managing with the existing workforce, said district president of Tamil Nadu Association of Cottage and Tiny Enterprises (Tact) J James.
President of Southern India Engineering Manufacturers Association (Siema) K V Karthik said that the industries have been operating with 75% of the workers and are arranging buses and trains to bring more workers back to the district. “Unlike the previous year, there is no sharp demand for labourers. Due to the constantly rising price of raw materials, many have postponed purchase and this in turn has reduced our orders. So, we are managing with existing labourers,” he added.