Women from Sri Lanka to rescue a German factory in Lithuania.

Talk about a Flat World! 

Today I talked to Frank, the German Director of a textile garment factory in Lithuania, specialized in high-quality men´s suits, with about 500 employees and with a daily production of 1000 pieces, for export mainly to German, British and Spanish market. His main problem for the last two years has been lack of employees, because young Lithuanian men and women are leaving the country to work in UK and Ireland (mainly). Lithuania is a small country, and something like 500.000 people have left the country in the last 2 years (rough estimates).

Frank can not find workers for his sewing lines, so he has had to reduce daily production to 650 pieces: a disaster, given the high fixed costs of this type of factory in which profits come only from very large volumes at low and declining manufacturing prices (forced down by competition from much cheaper Chinese garments).

Frank has found a solution: women from Sri Lanka. He has been allowed by the Lithuanian goverment to bring workers from abroad to fill up the vacancies. The first group, 9 women (ages 25-35), arrived 2 days ago. Frank was so exited on the phone today: "these women are really experienced in sewing machines!! We will treat them really well, they will have a good salary and living facilities, and hopefully they will bring their friends and families to Lithuania!"

Frank tells me they are the very first factory in Lithuania to receive permission for this program of foreign workers, but surely others will follow. From our contacts with other Eastern European countries (Bulgaria, Romania,...) the problem of fleeing young workers is widespread for these countries. It is a complex issue, but if properly organized, this could really be a good use of the Flat World we live in. Good luck to the girls from Sri Lanka (and prepare for the Lithuanian winter, because I can assure you, it is cold out there!!!)

Some more on the Flat World: Frank was born in Germany, worked as manager in Australia and Maldives (where they took workers from Madagascar because locals preferred working in turist resorts), and now he works in Lithuania for a German company but his home (and heart) is in Fuerteventura (Spain).