Abstract:
This research focuses on the causes of leaving the garment factories in free
trade zones in Sri Lanka. This explorative research is based on 6 qualitative in-depth
semi-structured interviews with the aim of gaining a more detailed and comprehensive
understanding of the labour turnover issue in Sri Lankan garment industry. The study
found that there were fifteen causes of intentions to leave a current employer. These
fifteen causes/factors were attributed to individual, organizational and environmental
levels. As this study suggests, the employee made the leaving decision depending on the
severity of the labour turnover factors and/or external opportunities available in the
same industry. There was evidence that the left employees have started as self-employed. Some particular moments were found to be specific for the context of Sri Lankan
garment industry. A specific system of gratuity benefits and social security funds made a
contribution to the high level of labour turnover. Sexual harassment appeared to be an
important non-economic factor, contributing to leave decisions amongst employees.
Low social status, associated with employment in the garment industry further
encouraged labour turnover. National culture strongly shaped the carrier paths.
Particularly, family traditions, emphasizing the woman’s responsibility for childcare and
homework, played an important role. While the garment industry mainly employs
females, their husbands seemed to influence the leave decision to a large degree. Based on the research results, some implications for practitioners and policy-makers
were suggested. Some avenues for further research were proposed.
