MAOMI x SRI LANKA
At MAOMI, sustainability is practised in many ways - we not only attach importance to economic and ecological sustainability, e.g. in the selection of production materials or the packaging in which the design pieces are delivered to you. Social sustainability is also of the utmost importance to us: people are always at the centre of everything we do, and their health and dignity are respected and promoted. One example of practising social sustainability at a high level - in a country where this is not a matter of course - is our partner manufactory in Sri Lanka. We produce our HOOKS, the Phone Home SLEEPING BEAR and the Stoneware ELEPHANT FEET together with our partner, thereby supporting a company that looks after its employees like no other on the Asian continent.
Our partner factory Midaya was founded in 1968 by the father of the current managing director. Since then, the company has worked continuously to improve working conditions and the development of its employees. A central concern of the company is to expand the general knowledge of its employees and to give them an understanding of other cultures and religions. To promote this, Midaya organises an annual quiz in which six teams compete against each other in various categories such as cuisine, national flag and celebrities. At the same time, a painting competition is organised for employees' children, in which they paint porcelain. The painted plates are later fired and taken home by the children.
The company offers comprehensive support for employees' families, for example by covering the cost of school books. An annual outing with all employees, where a hotel is rented and various activities and competitions are organised, is another expression of the company's commitment to the well-being of its employees. Midaya offers a range of benefits to support employees. These include health insurance that covers the cost of medication, free work clothes and a subsidised canteen. In the event of personal or financial problems, the company stands by its employees and offers support. An in-house charity shop enables employees to buy basic foodstuffs at reduced prices, with the cost deducted from their salary.
Midaya employees receive a salary that is well above the minimum wage, as well as annual pay rises that are above the rate of inflation. The company also offers favourable loans with an interest rate of 2%, which compares very favourably with the national interest rate of 13.5% (as of 8 April 2022). Working hours are from 7:30 am to 4:30 pm, and overtime is paid. Midaya is proud of the fact that employees who stay with the company for more than six months usually spend their entire working life there.
Midaya has never made an employee redundant, but has always tried to find a suitable position for everyone. However, about 50 per cent of new employees leave the company in the first five months, which could be due to the less prestigious image of factory work in Sri Lanka. Our partner manufactory wants to position itself more as a design workshop in the future, as the company also operates its own design studio in addition to production. There, concepts and simple sketches from customers are transformed into handmade unique pieces. Midaya works with earthenware, stoneware and porcelain and uses artisanal techniques such as sculpting, glazing, coloured porcelain and pen painting. In this way, the company creates unique works of art.
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