The Turkmenbashi Ashgabat Textile Complex is facing difficulties selling its products on foreign markets. As a result, wage payments to workers have been delayed by more than two months, Hronika.tm reports.
The enterprise produces bed linens, towels, blankets, bathrobes, and other cotton goods. The average salary of workers at the facility ranges from 1,700 to 1,800 manats ($510–$520) per month. While there have been no mass layoffs, a few employees are dismissed each week for minor infractions that previously went unnoticed.
The sales problems are linked to the fact that many countries refuse to purchase goods made with child or forced labor. This includes Turkmen cotton and its processed products.
Previously, fabrics and threads produced in the country were sent to Turkey and Pakistan, where they were turned into garments and exported to Europe, the U.S., and other countries under the labels of those manufacturing countries.
The increase in cotton purchase prices in 2024 has also led to additional production costs and negatively impacted the financial situation of the textile sector.
Cotton production, processing, and sales on international markets must be addressed at the national government level, taking into account international legal standards.
The Turkmen Initiative for Human Rights (TIHR), together with other human rights organizations and in cooperation with international bodies, has been working for several years on a project to eradicate forced labor in Turkmenistan’s cotton industry.
CentralasianLIGHT.org
April 17, 2025