Sri Lanka clothing industry – ‘We will have ethics but no business’

Sri Lanka’s clothing industry has been admired for improving working conditions but it is now in crisis. Not through its own fault, but because of the Sri Lankan government’s alleged war crimes against ethnic minorities.

The European commission is in the process of withdrawing concessionary zero-rated duty tariffs for imports from Sri Lanka. The commission has found Sri Lanka in breach of international human rights laws. Human rights activists, including Human Rights Watch, have also accused the Sri Lankan government of killing thousands of ethnic Tamils in the war against the separatist LTTE, and attacks on journalists. Sri Lanka denies these allegations.

Once the preferential trade tariff is withdrawn, garments exported from Sri Lanka will attract duty of 9.6% in Europe, making them more expensive and less competitive. Sri Lankan garment manufacturers fear that multinational brands will then move their orders to other cheaper countries.

Multinationals themselves are under attack by overseas pro-Tamil campaigners, who say sourcing from Sri Lanka amounts to supporting the Sri Lankan government’s actions. The Washington-based US Tamil Political Action Council (Ustpac) and other activists have organised protests in front of Gap and Victoria’s Secrets outlets in the past few months, demanding a Sri Lanka boycott. 

Ustpac says: “Gap and Victoria’s Secret purchase and sell garments made in Sri Lanka, thus helping the Sri Lankan government fund its military.”