Post-Pandemic Challenges of Textile Industry Workers in India: Analysis of Social Security Laws of Select Asian Countries

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic ensued a challenging period for global health; however, the loss of livelihoods throughout the lockdown also led to a significant economic issue that warranted a reassessment of the existing socio-economic structures. Manufacturing lines were severely impeded, particularly in the Indian textile industry, the second-largest employer and labour-intensive industry. The initial lockdown did not provide manufacturers enough time to prepare for the impending catastrophe, compelling many to shut down their operations. The above circumstances highlighted the lack of resilient social security laws in India. Despite initiatives like the Mahatma Gandhi National Rural Employment Guarantee Act (MGNREGA), the Employees’ Provident Fund (EPF) scheme and other initiatives like grain distribution to families below the poverty line, lack of economic security came to the forefront. There is a need to have a competent social security legal framework in India to ensure economic stability for all that would fall in line with the noble ideas of the framers of the Constitution as enshrined in the Directive Principles of State Policy, the guiding light for all state action in India. India has not ratified the International Labour Organizations Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention of 1952. The focal area of the current research would be to look into the sufficiency of the legal framework (International and National) to protect the economic interests of the workers. The authors examine the following: 1. Examine the Code on Social Security, 2020 passed by the Indian legislature interpreting it in light of the COVID-19 pandemic and its effect on textile manufacturing in India along with other steps initiated by the government for the textile industry. 2. Carry out a comparative analysis of the social security laws of other Asian countries (Bangladesh, Vietnam, and China) to carve out best practices that can be adopted in India. 3. Analyse and contrast the statistical data of the four predominant textile manufacturing and exporting economies on selected parameters.