74 <strong>Child</strong> <strong>and</strong> <strong>adult</strong> <strong>labour</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>garment</strong> <strong>export</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry <strong>of</strong> Tirupur ──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────
Chapter 5 Adult <strong>labour</strong> <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>garment</strong> <strong>export</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry <strong>of</strong> Bangalore 5.1 Introduction Buyers <strong>of</strong> <strong>garment</strong>s travel to Bombay, Madras <strong>and</strong> Delhi where <strong>the</strong> <strong>garment</strong> manufacturers are thriv<strong>in</strong>g. Recently, for this purpose, buyers also visit Bangalore, which is <strong>the</strong> capital <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> state <strong>of</strong> Karnataka. The city has become a new dest<strong>in</strong>ation for lead<strong>in</strong>g <strong>garment</strong> manufactur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>and</strong> <strong>export</strong> houses. Today, Bangalore is called '<strong>the</strong> Mecca <strong>of</strong> <strong>India</strong>'s <strong>garment</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry' 98 , but it started long before <strong>the</strong> boom <strong>in</strong> 1920 with manufactur<strong>in</strong>g <strong>garment</strong>s for <strong>the</strong> local <strong>and</strong> domestic markets. 'In 1994, Bangalore <strong>export</strong>ed <strong>garment</strong>s worth Rs 700 crores. Though Bangalore's share <strong>of</strong> <strong>India</strong>'s total <strong>export</strong> <strong>of</strong> <strong>garment</strong>s is only 6,21 per cent, it is <strong>the</strong> home <strong>of</strong> <strong>India</strong>'s top <strong>garment</strong> manufacturers <strong>and</strong> <strong>export</strong>ers, like Gokaldas Exports which earned US$ 24.55 million <strong>in</strong> 1993 due to its <strong>garment</strong> <strong>export</strong>s' 99 . Today, Bangalore has become an active player <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> process <strong>of</strong> globalization, ma<strong>in</strong>ly manufactur<strong>in</strong>g for <strong>export</strong>. Apart from <strong>export</strong><strong>in</strong>g <strong>garment</strong>s, manufacturers from Bangalore also have a flourish<strong>in</strong>g cha<strong>in</strong> <strong>of</strong> domestic showrooms. In an article 100 on Bangalore's <strong>garment</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry, it is stated that Bangalore is popular among <strong>garment</strong> manufacturers due to <strong>the</strong> follow<strong>in</strong>g five factors. Firstly, real estate is still reasonably priced. In <strong>the</strong> article a real estate agent says '<strong>in</strong> Bangalore, <strong>the</strong> price per acre <strong>of</strong> l<strong>and</strong> is around a tenth <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> amount <strong>in</strong> Delhi <strong>and</strong> perhaps a fortieth <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> amount <strong>in</strong> Bombay'. Secondly, <strong>the</strong> climate <strong>and</strong> cosmopolitan lifestyle have made Bangalore more popular than Madras, which is actually a better option as a port city. Thirdly, Bangalore is close to o<strong>the</strong>r important textile cities like Tirupur for hosiery fabrics <strong>and</strong> <strong>garment</strong>s, but also Karur for <strong>the</strong> production <strong>of</strong> yarn, Coimbatore <strong>and</strong> Salem etc., which are all toge<strong>the</strong>r <strong>in</strong>expensive suppliers <strong>of</strong> raw materials. Fourthly, <strong>the</strong>re is an <strong>in</strong>l<strong>and</strong> conta<strong>in</strong>er depot for transport <strong>of</strong> cargo to Madras, Bombay or Delhi, <strong>and</strong> a freighter service by air. Seventy per cent <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> freight is composed <strong>of</strong> <strong>garment</strong>s from Bangalore. An <strong>in</strong>ternational airport is planned to establish a direct l<strong>in</strong>k with foreign buyers. And fifthly, <strong>the</strong> abundance <strong>of</strong> a cheap female <strong>labour</strong> force 101 . In <strong>the</strong> article it is said 'that wages which are paid to women are lower than <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> north <strong>and</strong> are around Rs 1500 per month'. Bangalore's 'Mecca', however, does not reflect <strong>the</strong> work<strong>in</strong>g conditions <strong>and</strong> st<strong>and</strong>ards <strong>of</strong> <strong>the</strong> workers, especially <strong>the</strong> women <strong>labour</strong>ers. In an article 102 <strong>in</strong> an <strong>India</strong>n news paper, a journalist expla<strong>in</strong>s <strong>the</strong> situation <strong>of</strong> exploited women <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> <strong>garment</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry as follows: 'Salaries are meagre (sometimes as low as Rs 450 per month) <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> work<strong>in</strong>g hours are long. Work<strong>in</strong>g overtime is a must almost every day. Export orders have to be fulfilled <strong>and</strong> no employee can leave without putt<strong>in</strong>g <strong>in</strong> extra hours'. Leela, a woman who works <strong>in</strong> a <strong>garment</strong> unit <strong>and</strong> who is quoted <strong>in</strong> <strong>the</strong> 98 Sunday, January 8, 1995. 'Fashion City, Why is Bangalore <strong>the</strong> Mecca <strong>of</strong> <strong>India</strong>'s <strong>garment</strong> <strong>export</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry?'. 99 Sunday, January 8, 1995. Ibid., op. cit. 100 Sunday, January 8, 1995. Ibid. 101 O<strong>the</strong>r factors which were mentioned by manufacturers <strong>in</strong> Bangalore, are: f<strong>in</strong>ancial support to <strong>the</strong> <strong>garment</strong> <strong>in</strong>dustry by <strong>the</strong> Government <strong>of</strong> Karnataka <strong>and</strong> <strong>the</strong> availability <strong>of</strong> a better <strong>in</strong>frastructure as compared with o<strong>the</strong>r areas, <strong>in</strong> terms <strong>of</strong> l<strong>and</strong>, water, electricity <strong>and</strong> transport, which all are available at a lower price <strong>in</strong> Bangalore. 102 Deccan Herald, March 11, 1995. 'Sewn up by dire need'.
Change language