In the Katunayake Free Trade Zone (FTZ), so much is about the battle to survive. A lot of the things we take for granted – like having a safe home, eating three meals a day, and living as a respected member of society – is a luxury, not a given. These workers need somebody to reach out to them and show up for them so that they can be heard. Located along the Baseline Road in Katunayake, Stand Up Movement Lanka, founded by Ashila Dandeniya, the convenor for the rights of workers in the FTZ, is just that voice.
As we walk into her tiny office, we are greeted with sounds of laughter and chatter as the team and Ashila share their lunch. It was refreshing to see that despite the bleak reality they battle on a daily basis, they enjoy the moment. And so we sat down with Ashila to listen to her journey, what she plans for the future, and why she does what she does. This is her story and the story of thousands of FTZ workers at this very moment.
Following are excerpts of the conversation.
[caption id="attachment_124366" align="alignright" width="407"]
The Stand Up Movement Lanka team[/caption]
What kind of work does your organisation do in the FTZ?
Stand Up Movement Lanka is committed to protecting and promoting the rights of workers in the FTZ. Another segment of individuals we come across while doing our work in these areas are sex workers. The majority of them are from the FTZ, who also carry on as sex workers as a “part-time” profession. There is a lot of darkness in their lives and we work to empower them and create a space where they are accepted in society. Also, with the Covid crisis, many of our brothers and sisters in the FTZ have been thrown into the deep end. We are working to provide them with support and relief.
When was your organisation established, and was this the line of work from the beginning?
This organisation is unique in its own right, because I was a worker in the FTZ myself. Stand Up Movement Lanka was born as a result of my journey in the FTZ, where I wanted to provide a solution to help those in need. I founded the organisation in 2008 and registered it in 2014. However, the work we do here started back in 2003/04.
Let’s talk about the issues and the work you do for FTZ workers and sex workers in the area.
The issues these workers face fall along a rather broad spectrum. We primarily categorise them as challenges in living conditions and in working conditions. With regard to working conditions, the biggest challenge is that the state minimum wage is Rs. 10,000, to which an allowance of Rs. 3,500 is added. The total they earn per month is a measly Rs.13,500 and we all know how long somebody can survive with that amount in hand. Even though workers are being recruited at a slightly higher wage limit at present, it is still inadequate, which means they need to do whatever they can to live.
The system is also constructed in such a way that there is zero relief available to workers. For instance, they are expected to show up to work even if there is a family funeral. Workers also receive something called an “Attendance Bonus”, which they are only eligible for if they go to work daily. One day of absence, and the bonus for the entire month is removed. In addition, some factories also have an individual bonus and a group bonus. If one person in the group is absent, the entire group gets no bonus. This system ensures there is no unity among workers and that they will not become organised as one entity.
There is also a massive amount of sexual harassment from line supervisors. Last year, a worker from Kilinochchi died by suicide after she was harassed by a supervisor. If workers refuse to entertain their demands, the working environment will be made hostile to them immediately. They have no safety. During Covid, employees were dismissed without notice, left unpaid, and thrown into complete chaos.
What challenges are prevalent in their living conditions?
The hostels around the FTZ do not have safe, clean, and respectable living environments. The rooms are tiny, dark, and lack basic facilities. They are forced to cook, sleep, and do everything in just one small room. Some hostels house about 100 workers and they share two or three communal washrooms. This creates tension among those in the hostels. There is no privacy for women to even have a shower, and this adds up to the sexual harassment and violence they endure and directly results in a poor social image for them. There is constant cat-calling where women are referred to as “kaali” or “badu” and not as humans with respect.
What was your journey like?
I came to Katunayake after my GCE Advanced Levels (A/Ls), just like most of the workers. I came because my family was struggling financially after my father went missing during the 1989-90 period. I have an older brother and two younger siblings. Me and my older brother started looking for employment at the same time, and he found a position in Pan Asia Bank in Negombo. So, I moved to Colombo with my brother and the easiest occupation for me to get into was in the FTZ.
I started working with a well-known apparel manufacturer in 2001, where I lacked the basic facilities to work effectively. I was recruited as a Quality Controller and my supervisor was a male who harassed me and other workers. I resigned as I could not stay silent about what was happening. I then joined another apparel company as a Quality Controller, where they had a system called “Sevaka Sabha”, to which I was appointed through a vote. We raised concerns about worker issues, and when I questioned wages, the company decided to dismiss me.
Realising that my dismissal was unfair, I approached an organisation called Right To Life Human Rights Centre. They trained me to represent myself in labour court, as a lawyer is not mandatory. On the second day of the hearing, the organisation that dismissed me agreed to come to a settlement, where even though I had only worked for nine months, they agreed to compensate for 12 months’ worth of salary.
Was this what brought about the establishment of Stand Up Movement Lanka?
Yes. Even though I found another position, I felt strongly that rather than working in a factory, I could do something more meaningful with my experience. Coincidentally, Right to Life suggested that I participate in an interview they were conducting to recruit a co-ordinator for FTZ workers. I was selected to work within a project for women’s rights in the FTZ. As the project drew to a close, I had a choice to make on whether I would go back into the zone. However, by this time, I had built a strong network of contacts, peers, and friends. My skill set had developed and therefore, with the encouragement of my brother, I decided to start something of my own.
What sets you apart in terms of the methodology used in the work you do?
We have always worked with young groups, which inherently meant that the systems we use are not conventional. This applies to both organising and raising awareness. We use a strategy called “film discussions” to build relationships. We’d go to a hostel, watch movies together, and use the discussions that come up within to build relationships. This became the foundation upon which we built our social security network. In fact, we even won an international award for the work that we do.
We just celebrated International Women’s Day. What kind of message do you have for women in the FTZ looking to reach out?
We have launched a month-long programme targeting IWD 2021. One of our main objectives is to stop women from becoming desensitised to the emotional, verbal, and physical harassment they endure on a daily basis. Everyone from shopkeepers to random people on the road to supervisors harass them, and they have become so desensitised or afraid that they dismiss it as the norm. How normal is it that a woman is unable to buy a carrot from the market without sexual innuendo being yelled at her?
Not a single woman approaches the women’s desk at the Katunayake Police Station. While we understand that there is trepidation and stigma around stepping into a police station, we are currently working with female police officers and workers to fortify relationships between the two parties. My message to all female workers in the FTZ is to see harassment as harassment. We will offer you free legal support, so please make use of them. Your prompt action is the only way to minimise harassment. Your inaction is enabling the unjust. Blaming the system achieves nothing, if you are silent in your suffering. Speak up and we will come with you to the police and ensure there are no language barriers to communicate or register your complaints.
Are you facing any challenges with the work you are currently doing?
We are working to help address the practicality of workers approaching the right resources to fight the injustice they experience. We understand that there are financial issues, societal pressures, and fear that stands in the way of women taking action against their harassers, which is why we stand by them. The biggest challenge, however, is obtaining permission from the factories to grant leave to workers when required. Still, we remain undaunted and are in discussions with officials and police officers to obtain this right for workers.
We are currently dealing with an overwhelming amount of workers asking for emergency relief as many of them are placed under quarantine and have no access to food, water, etc. and receive no support from their employers. We always store about 25-50 food packs at our premises these days so that we can help anybody who needs it.
How can workers reach you?
We have a 24-hour hotline that is attended to by our staff. No matter what the issue may be, we are prepared to assist those who reach out to us. Our hotline is 0770514131.
Even as we sat in discussion, the hotline received a call or two asking for emergency relief. The immense weight upon their shoulders was crystal clear, but so was the strength of spirit and determination Ashila and her team showed in handling the ever-mounting cries for help. Just across the road, the mesh net fencing separated our world from the world within the FTZ – one that so many of us have heard about but never registered as something that requires our attention.
As we said our goodbyes to the team, Ashila’s words stayed with us. We celebrate International Women’s Day while thousands of women behind the sewing machine, who bring in money to the country, are pushed against a wall that forces them into silence in the face of harassment and injustice. While we get our groceries delivered during the pandemic, those quarantined in overcrowded hostels in Katunayake are struggling to find something to eat. While we may not always be in a position to provide assistance to these women, we certainly can do something: We can raise them, encourage them. We can ensure they are not alone or forgotten. We can help their voices be heard.
Watch the video at:
Instagram: @brunch.lk
YouTube: Brunch LK
Facebook: The Sunday Morning Brunch
PHOTOS ESHAN DASANAYAKA
The Stand Up Movement Lanka team[/caption]
What kind of work does your organisation do in the FTZ?
Stand Up Movement Lanka is committed to protecting and promoting the rights of workers in the FTZ. Another segment of individuals we come across while doing our work in these areas are sex workers. The majority of them are from the FTZ, who also carry on as sex workers as a “part-time” profession. There is a lot of darkness in their lives and we work to empower them and create a space where they are accepted in society. Also, with the Covid crisis, many of our brothers and sisters in the FTZ have been thrown into the deep end. We are working to provide them with support and relief.
When was your organisation established, and was this the line of work from the beginning?
This organisation is unique in its own right, because I was a worker in the FTZ myself. Stand Up Movement Lanka was born as a result of my journey in the FTZ, where I wanted to provide a solution to help those in need. I founded the organisation in 2008 and registered it in 2014. However, the work we do here started back in 2003/04.
Let’s talk about the issues and the work you do for FTZ workers and sex workers in the area.
The issues these workers face fall along a rather broad spectrum. We primarily categorise them as challenges in living conditions and in working conditions. With regard to working conditions, the biggest challenge is that the state minimum wage is Rs. 10,000, to which an allowance of Rs. 3,500 is added. The total they earn per month is a measly Rs.13,500 and we all know how long somebody can survive with that amount in hand. Even though workers are being recruited at a slightly higher wage limit at present, it is still inadequate, which means they need to do whatever they can to live.
The system is also constructed in such a way that there is zero relief available to workers. For instance, they are expected to show up to work even if there is a family funeral. Workers also receive something called an “Attendance Bonus”, which they are only eligible for if they go to work daily. One day of absence, and the bonus for the entire month is removed. In addition, some factories also have an individual bonus and a group bonus. If one person in the group is absent, the entire group gets no bonus. This system ensures there is no unity among workers and that they will not become organised as one entity.
There is also a massive amount of sexual harassment from line supervisors. Last year, a worker from Kilinochchi died by suicide after she was harassed by a supervisor. If workers refuse to entertain their demands, the working environment will be made hostile to them immediately. They have no safety. During Covid, employees were dismissed without notice, left unpaid, and thrown into complete chaos.
What challenges are prevalent in their living conditions?
The hostels around the FTZ do not have safe, clean, and respectable living environments. The rooms are tiny, dark, and lack basic facilities. They are forced to cook, sleep, and do everything in just one small room. Some hostels house about 100 workers and they share two or three communal washrooms. This creates tension among those in the hostels. There is no privacy for women to even have a shower, and this adds up to the sexual harassment and violence they endure and directly results in a poor social image for them. There is constant cat-calling where women are referred to as “kaali” or “badu” and not as humans with respect.
What was your journey like?
I came to Katunayake after my GCE Advanced Levels (A/Ls), just like most of the workers. I came because my family was struggling financially after my father went missing during the 1989-90 period. I have an older brother and two younger siblings. Me and my older brother started looking for employment at the same time, and he found a position in Pan Asia Bank in Negombo. So, I moved to Colombo with my brother and the easiest occupation for me to get into was in the FTZ.
I started working with a well-known apparel manufacturer in 2001, where I lacked the basic facilities to work effectively. I was recruited as a Quality Controller and my supervisor was a male who harassed me and other workers. I resigned as I could not stay silent about what was happening. I then joined another apparel company as a Quality Controller, where they had a system called “Sevaka Sabha”, to which I was appointed through a vote. We raised concerns about worker issues, and when I questioned wages, the company decided to dismiss me.
Realising that my dismissal was unfair, I approached an organisation called Right To Life Human Rights Centre. They trained me to represent myself in labour court, as a lawyer is not mandatory. On the second day of the hearing, the organisation that dismissed me agreed to come to a settlement, where even though I had only worked for nine months, they agreed to compensate for 12 months’ worth of salary.
Was this what brought about the establishment of Stand Up Movement Lanka?
Yes. Even though I found another position, I felt strongly that rather than working in a factory, I could do something more meaningful with my experience. Coincidentally, Right to Life suggested that I participate in an interview they were conducting to recruit a co-ordinator for FTZ workers. I was selected to work within a project for women’s rights in the FTZ. As the project drew to a close, I had a choice to make on whether I would go back into the zone. However, by this time, I had built a strong network of contacts, peers, and friends. My skill set had developed and therefore, with the encouragement of my brother, I decided to start something of my own.
What sets you apart in terms of the methodology used in the work you do?
We have always worked with young groups, which inherently meant that the systems we use are not conventional. This applies to both organising and raising awareness. We use a strategy called “film discussions” to build relationships. We’d go to a hostel, watch movies together, and use the discussions that come up within to build relationships. This became the foundation upon which we built our social security network. In fact, we even won an international award for the work that we do.
We just celebrated International Women’s Day. What kind of message do you have for women in the FTZ looking to reach out?
We have launched a month-long programme targeting IWD 2021. One of our main objectives is to stop women from becoming desensitised to the emotional, verbal, and physical harassment they endure on a daily basis. Everyone from shopkeepers to random people on the road to supervisors harass them, and they have become so desensitised or afraid that they dismiss it as the norm. How normal is it that a woman is unable to buy a carrot from the market without sexual innuendo being yelled at her?
Not a single woman approaches the women’s desk at the Katunayake Police Station. While we understand that there is trepidation and stigma around stepping into a police station, we are currently working with female police officers and workers to fortify relationships between the two parties. My message to all female workers in the FTZ is to see harassment as harassment. We will offer you free legal support, so please make use of them. Your prompt action is the only way to minimise harassment. Your inaction is enabling the unjust. Blaming the system achieves nothing, if you are silent in your suffering. Speak up and we will come with you to the police and ensure there are no language barriers to communicate or register your complaints.
Are you facing any challenges with the work you are currently doing?
We are working to help address the practicality of workers approaching the right resources to fight the injustice they experience. We understand that there are financial issues, societal pressures, and fear that stands in the way of women taking action against their harassers, which is why we stand by them. The biggest challenge, however, is obtaining permission from the factories to grant leave to workers when required. Still, we remain undaunted and are in discussions with officials and police officers to obtain this right for workers.
We are currently dealing with an overwhelming amount of workers asking for emergency relief as many of them are placed under quarantine and have no access to food, water, etc. and receive no support from their employers. We always store about 25-50 food packs at our premises these days so that we can help anybody who needs it.
How can workers reach you?
We have a 24-hour hotline that is attended to by our staff. No matter what the issue may be, we are prepared to assist those who reach out to us. Our hotline is 0770514131.
Even as we sat in discussion, the hotline received a call or two asking for emergency relief. The immense weight upon their shoulders was crystal clear, but so was the strength of spirit and determination Ashila and her team showed in handling the ever-mounting cries for help. Just across the road, the mesh net fencing separated our world from the world within the FTZ – one that so many of us have heard about but never registered as something that requires our attention.
As we said our goodbyes to the team, Ashila’s words stayed with us. We celebrate International Women’s Day while thousands of women behind the sewing machine, who bring in money to the country, are pushed against a wall that forces them into silence in the face of harassment and injustice. While we get our groceries delivered during the pandemic, those quarantined in overcrowded hostels in Katunayake are struggling to find something to eat. While we may not always be in a position to provide assistance to these women, we certainly can do something: We can raise them, encourage them. We can ensure they are not alone or forgotten. We can help their voices be heard.
Watch the video at:
Instagram: @brunch.lk
YouTube: Brunch LK
Facebook: The Sunday Morning Brunch
PHOTOS ESHAN DASANAYAKA