US Government, Brandix provide buses to ease factory workers’ daily commute

Starting this week, 450 apparel factory workers in Punani, Batticaloa will find their daily commute a lot easier.

In recognition of the difficulties posed by long travel distances to and from work – up to 40 kilometres one way for some – and the region’s unreliable public transportation, the workers’ employer, Brandix Lanka Limited, and the United States Agency for International Development (USAID) on Monday provided two 58-seater buses to transport the workers to and from their homes daily. The buses will be operated by Brandix’s worker welfare committee.

Presented by USAID Mission Director James Bednar and Brandix representatives during a ceremony in Punani, the buses are part of a $ 1.12 million four-year public private partnership between USAID and Brandix called the Apparel Sector Training Partnership.

The partnership provides more economic opportunity in the Eastern Province, which accounts for just 5.8% of Sri Lanka’s total GDP, and the chance for Brandix to maintain a competitive position in the global marketplace by hiring the skilled workers its factories need. Workers participating in the program have the opportunity to increase their monthly salaries to $ 85, higher than what they were making prior to employment with the factory.

After attending eight weeks of pre-training, the workers complete six months of on-the-job training before becoming certified sewing machine operators. Upon graduation, they receive job placements from Brandix.

The company, which has so far trained 450 workers in Punani and plans to train 150 more, pays all training costs and the workers’ monthly stipend during the six months of on-the-job training. Every effort is made during recruitment to hire workers from all ethnic backgrounds, in order to reflect the diversity of the region.

“USAID was thrilled when Brandix initially expressed interest in investing in the Eastern Province, even while the conflict was ongoing,” said Bednar. “This was a bold step to train workers and generate employment in a region desperately needing an economic boost, and USAID was excited to partner with Brandix on the initiative. Since 2008, the Apparel Sector Training Partnership has been helping people rebuild their lives by offering employment opportunities and the chance to develop new skills. USAID is committed to this partnership; that’s why when we learned of the transportation difficulties the workers were having, we thought it was important to resolve them immediately in order to make the factory as productive and profitable as possible.”

The handover ceremony was part of a larger USAID trip to the Eastern Province, including visits to the sites of two other USAID public private alliances with the American dairy cooperative Land O’Lakes, and the Sri Lankan aquaculture company Aqua N’ Green.

Since 2008, USAID has been working closely with the private sector in the conflict affected areas to create new jobs, revive the regional economy and bring stability to the region. To date, USAID has invested close to $ 15 million in alliances with local companies in dairy, horticulture, aquaculture, logistics, construction and garment manufacturing, leveraging $ 41 million from private sector partners and aiming to create approximately 20,000 jobs.

The American people, through the US Agency for International Development, have provided development and humanitarian assistance in developing countries worldwide for nearly 50 years. Since 1956, the US Government has invested over $ 2 billion to benefit all the people of Sri Lanka.