West Java Governor Urges Relocation as Garment Factory Closures Shift Industrial Landscape

Bandung (ANTARA) - West Java Governor Dedi Mulyadi has responded to the dismissal of 178 workers at PT Namnam Fashion Industries in Cimahi by urging employees to be willing to relocate, following a shift in the map of labour-intensive industrial zones in West Java.

The former Regent of Purwakarta noted that the garment industry has a unique character in that it is not permanent, unlike other capital-intensive industries, and therefore tends to relocate its factories when production costs and the Regency/City Minimum Wage (UMK) in an existing area are no longer competitive.

“Garments are always a problem. The sector is typically labour-intensive. Labour-intensive companies in general are indeed like that (prone to relocating),” said Dedi Mulyadi in Cimahi on Tuesday.

Dedi explained that the movement of labour-intensive factories that have reached their break-even point (BEP) towards regions with lower labour costs is a natural cycle that commonly occurs in the garment industry.

Nevertheless, Dedi stressed that job availability in the garment and footwear sectors in West Java is in fact still very abundant, although its centre has now shifted away from older industrial areas such as Bandung, Karawang, Purwakarta and West Bandung towards new growth regions.

To navigate these conditions, he encouraged workers who wish to remain in the textile and footwear industries to be flexible and brave enough to move to regencies receiving new investment, such as Indramayu, Garut and Majalengka.

“There are plenty of new jobs today. A great many job openings are available in West Java. Industries are starting to grow, industrial zones are starting to grow. Recruitment for the footwear sector, for instance in Indramayu, is very extensive. There is plenty in Garut, plenty in Majalengka. The locations have simply shifted,” he said.

“Like it or not, those working in the garment sector, if they want to stay in that sector, must move to other regencies. There are many openings. In Majalengka and Indramayu, there are plenty. Indramayu needs tens of thousands of workers for the footwear, garment and textile industries,” Dedi added.

The statement was made in response to a viral social media post showing the grief and tears of workers following the cessation of the factory’s operations. According to data from the Cimahi Manpower Office, 178 workers were officially affected by the halt in production at the garment company PT Namnam Fashion Industries.