Stitching together a success story
Grace Textile’s operation in Xinjiang helps ethnic Uygurs
Kassel Kahaer is busy stitching the hems of a towel in a workshop owned by Xinjiang Xinyuesilu Co Ltd, a textile manufacturer in the Xinjiang Uygur autonomous region.
The 22-year-old joined the company last year and works through 6,000 towels a day, earning around 4,000 yuan ($606) a month.
Known as a “quick hand”, he is just one of a growing number of ethnic Uygurs employed by the firm, located in Aksu of southern Xinjiang.
Part of the Zhejiang Grace Textile Group, one of the largest in China and based in Zhejiang province, Xinjiang Xinyuesilu offers training and the chance for local workers to move up in the business.
“Ever since our company was founded in 2011, we have made it our policy to hire local people, with ethnic minorities making up at least 60 percent of the staff,” said Xia Jingyong, the company’s general manager.
The firm employs 2,506 workers at its Xinjiang factory with 1,838 from ethnic minorities, accounting for over 70 percent of the total workforce.
Despite language problems and the diversity of different cultures and lifestyles, the company has fast-tracked local staff into managerial positions. Up to 50 employees were sent to Zhejiang and Hubei provinces in 2012 for training, including Karmalijiang Kuerbanjiang. He has since become the head of the sewing department.
“Since I came back from Zhejiang, I was promoted and my monthly salary was increased from 3,000 yuan to 4,500 yuan,” he said.
“Seventeen of my relatives and friends joined the company due to my recommendation,” he added.
One-third of Xinjiang Xinyuesilu’s managers are from ethnic minorities, according to Liu Changwei, director of the human resources department.
The retention rate is also high, while four training manuals have been compiled in Mandarin and Uygur, covering the basic skills of yarn manufacturing and towel production. “As a labor-intensive company, the retention rate for minority employees is as high as 85 percent, a very high rate,” Liu said.
The Aksu region is famous for its high-quality cotton.
With more than 266,670 hectares of crops, the area accounts for around 11 percent of the country’s total cotton production. A new “pairing assistance” program for Xinjiang was rolled out by the central government in 2011. Under the project, 19 provinces and municipalities, as well as ministries, were required to support its development in different parts.
The priority is to help Xinjiang develop labor-intensive industries, so more low-income workers can find jobs near their homes.