Women garment workers have been protesting for the past few days against a private company in the Madras Export Processing Zone (MEPZ), alleging difficult working conditions and the sudden cancellation of company transportation facilities.

The protest began after the Celebrity Fashions Pvt. Ltd. stopped operating the link vans that workers relied on to travel to the unit in Tambaram. Many women commute from towns and villages as far as Madurantakam, travelling nearly 80 kilometres one way, while also having to adhere to strict punch-in timings at work.

One of the protesting workers, a resident of Vasuvasamuthiram village near Kalpakkam, said she already travels 7 km from her village to Kalpakkam to board the company’s vehicle. “But now the company says the bus will only come till Chengalpattu. It will take me much longer. If I take an auto, it costs around ₹150 a day. By bus, it is about ₹60. I cannot afford it,” she said.

Workers said that without the link bus service, they are left with a difficult choice of spending significantly more money on transport to reach work on time, or arrive late and face repercussions at work.

Further, they alleged that even minor mistakes during alteration work or accidental damage to garments often lead to humiliation and verbal abuse from supervisors. “Verbal abuse here is common,” another worker said. “I had been on leave for a week because the supervisor used extremely abusive language. They treat us worse than dogs.”

Dhanalakshmi, another employee, said many workers fear conditions may worsen further after the protest. “If the link van is stopped, women have to leave home even earlier. But all of us also have to cook, clean, and finish household work before coming to work,” she said.

Sujatha Mody, president of Women Workers Union, alleged that the company had earlier carried out retrenchments at its Avadi factory. “Last year, around 700 workers at the Avadi factory lost their jobs. In 2024, nearly 150 workers were pushed out under the guise of ‘VRS’. It was not voluntary retirement, but a way to remove workers,” she said.

Ms. Mody alleged the company was now adopting similar measures at the MEPZ unit, including cutting transport facilities and creating a stressful work environment.

During negotiations, the company reportedly said operating the link buses had become financially unviable due to rising diesel costs. Management representatives told workers they would instead be given ₹2,500 to arrange their own transportation.

Workers, however, said the amount was insufficient. They argued that transport expenses would be far higher, especially for those travelling long distances from rural areas.

The company initially stated that it was willing to hold talks only with workers and not union representatives. However, after workers submitted a petition at the police station, discussions were later held between management, workers, and union representatives. 

According to sources, the management informed them that they would discuss the issue with company authorities and issue a response. Labour Department officials, meanwhile, advised workers to resume work for a week while the company worked towards resolving the issue.