The COVID-19 crisis and the nationwide lockdown have had a devastating impact on the vast majority of workers in the leather production and footwear manufacturing industry. The disruptions in the domestic supply chains coupled with knee-jerk reactions of international brands and retailers, who cancelled new orders and deferred payments for shipments made, caused huge losses to the leather and leather footwear manufacturers in India. Consequently, the workers employed in these sectors bore the brunt of the pandemic as many were unpaid during the lockdown period and thousands have been laid-off or terminated.
Cividep India in collaboration with its partners INKOTA, Sudwind Institute and the Society for Labour & Development, and with the support of BMZ, conducted a study on the impact of the COVID-19 induced lockdown on leather sector workers in Tamil Nadu. The research explored key issues such as payment of wages, access to social security, and relief received during the pandemic-induced lockdown and also covered the experience of workers after the relaxation of lockdown measures, when many employees were temporarily laid-off or terminated within the industry.
Access the full report below.
A study on the impact of the Covid-19 lockdown on Tamil Nadu’s leather workers