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

Adult labour in the garment export industry of Bangalore
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All the interviewed workers had started with a probationary period which ranged between 6 and
12 months. Some of the interviewed workers were still in the probationary period. The wages in
the probationary period varied between Rs 600 and Rs 1000 per month. In the factories the majority
of workers is in a probationary period after which they get a slightly better wage but they never
become permanent workers. They will never be promoted.
During the interviews, all the workers, especially the women, complained that the wages were not
enough to survive. All had difficulties in managing illness in the family, paying the rent of the
house, and paying food, water and electricity bills of which the prices are on the rise in Bangalore.
Savings could hardly be made by the women. Often they had to borrow money from
neighbours.
According to the law of Karnataka in 1994-1995, as were given by the additional labour commissioner
of Bangalore, Mr. Shankaranarayana, the minimum wages for an 8 hours work day in
1994-95, are for,
Highly skilled worker (pattern maker, cutter, highly qualified tailors) Rs 43 per day (Rs
1114 per month);
Skilled worker (tailor, cutter, machine operator) Rs 41 par day (Rs 1083 per month);
Semi skilled worker (ironer, checker, button hole machine operator) Rs 40 per day (Rs 1049
per month);
Unskilled worker (helper, service, canteen, office clerks) Rs 36 per day (Rs 903 per month).
The official Minimum Wage is calculated for 26 days per month where the Sunday is a holiday.
As per law, overtime work has to be paid twice the wage of the worker.
In an interview, the additional labour commissioner said the following: 'the work in the factories
is not paid on piece rate basis but according to a 8 hours working day. The majority of the factories
is unionized, and the minimum wage is paid to the workers. If not, then the labour
Inspectors will go to the factories and solve these problems'. The reality, as revealed by the
interviewed women, however, is different. The women receive wages which are well below the
limit recommended by the Karnataka State Minimum Wages Advisory Board and for the wages
they work much longer than 8 hours. Although the interviewed workers said that overtime work
is paid 1,5 to 2 times their salaries, if one calculates the total wage including the official overtime
work payments, the wages they earn are too low. The majority of the women already had worked
for 1,5 to 3 years which means they should have been highly skilled workers already with more
experience on the same job and should have been rewarded with higher wages. Even after 1,5 to 3
years of work experience the majority of the women earned wages that ranged between Rs 800
and Rs 1200 per month, including the extra overtime work payments.
According to the National Centre for Labour (NCL), an NGO in Bangalore working for the rights
of workers in the informal sector, the wages of adults range between Rs 400 and Rs 1200 per
month today, which is not a 'need based' minimum wage.
Although employers stated that workers were paid according to a fixed wage or monthly wage,
this survey revealed that workers were paid according to the piece rate system. The workers had
to stitch a certain amount of garments per hour and per day. If the quantity of garments was not
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