Child-and-adult-labour-in-the-export-oriented-garment-and-gem-polishing-industry-of-India

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Child and adult labour in the garment export industry of Tirupur
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ped out much earlier and did not get further than respectively 4th standard (sister) and 5th
standard (brother).
Joyti has to travel every day by bus to reach her work. She works 10 shifts per week. Regularly,
she works from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. and also in the nightshift till 1 a.m. From noon till 1 p.m. she
rests and eats her lunch which she brings with her in a box. When she works at night, the supervisor
brings her home on his scooter. For the hours she works in the night, she is not paid extra
money. Sometimes she also works on Sundays. During the nightshift, the supervisor provides the
workers with tea and music. This prevents her from falling asleep. In her factory work 18 boys
and 2 girls.
Joyti has little time left to go to the NFE centre for education. When the work in the factory is
finished, often she has to help in the household at home; cleaning the vessels, collecting water,
sweeping etc. There is never time to play. But when there is some free time left in the evening,
she attends 2 hours of education in the centre. Later in life, Joyti wants to become a teacher. She
hopes to go to a regular school in the near future.
Case 6: Sanmuham
Sanmuham Raju is 13 years of age and started working at the age of 8. He is Hindu and from the
Scheduled Caste. His father forced him to work because the family needed the extra income. At
that time his job consisted of collecting the clothes and garments in a garment factory. He received
Rs 5 per day. Now he travels every day to his new job; a garment exporter located near Tamil
Nadu Theatre in Tirupur. This job consists of assisting the tailor for which he gets Rs 25 per day.
Sanmuham has education up to the level of 5th standard. Now he goes to the NFE centre to continue
his education, if the job allows him to. He prefers going to the regular school.
Sanmuham works 1,5 shift per day and 10 shifts per week. Per day he is working 12 hours with 1
hour rest period. But when an export order has to be met in time, and there is urgent work, he
works 2,5 shifts a day (1 shift is 8 hours), and sleeps inside the factory. The supervisor gives the
workers tea at night and lets them listen to music. Four more boys are working in the factory. The
supervisor, however, does not treat the workers nicely. Very often he beats or scolds them.
Sanmuham explains that when he makes mistakes, Rs 5 are cut from his wage.
The wage Sanmuham gets, he gives to his mother. Every week he keeps Rs 5 and spends them on
candy's. His father is illiterate and works in a spinning mill earning Rs 1000 per month. His
mother works in a bleaching unit where the clothes are bleached and dried. She gets Rs 48 per
day. She has had education up to 5th standard. Sanmuham's elder brother is 14 years of age and
also works in a garment factory as an assistant of a tailor. He earns Rs 26 per day. He dropped out
of the school at 4th standard. Sanmuhan's youngest brother is 7 years and goes to the regular
school.
Sanmuham's dream is to become a doctor, and if that is not possible he wants to become a
supervisor in a garment factory.