The report surveyed 184 women garment workers in Bengaluru and Mysuru and found that the minimum wage in the sector is ₹10,330. This is lower than what is paid to skilled and unskilled workers in other sectors.
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Wages as low as ₹10,000 a month, verbal and physical abuse, restrictions on toilet time are some of the conditions women labourers in Karnataka’s readymade garment factory face, said a new report by Cividep India.
While poor working conditions of women garment factory workers have been documented in earlier reports, what the latest report also highlights is the connection between paid factory work and unpaid household labour, its impact on women’s vulnerability, and how it perpetuates marginalisation in future generations.
Lowest wages
Authored by Supriya Roy Chowdhury, visiting professor at NIAS, the report, which surveyed 184 women garment workers in Bengaluru and Mysuru, found that the minimum wage in the sector is ₹10,330. This is lower than what is paid to skilled and unskilled workers in other sectors.
Around 82% of the women did overtime, however only 58% were paid double wages for it. Most respondents wanted better wages, while around 25% of them demanded better working conditions. A significant number were also found to be engaged in additional paid work such as tailoring, selling flowers, domestic help and so on, according to the study brought out by the Bengaluru-based NGO.
Verbal and sexual abuse
One of the most appalling findings of the study was the pervasive nature of abuse in the sector and how it was normalised. All the respondents reported experiencing verbal abuse from the managers. Around 61% of them faced physical abuse, while 39% reported sexual harassment.
Yet another finding was around the restrictions on toilet time. Women were either restricted from using the toilet as many times as they needed or were limited from using the facility over a certain duration. Around 68% of women experienced this. The study also revealed that only 5-10% of the women labourers are unionised.
Contributory factors and impact
Weak regulation of global supply chains in garment production and exports has played a major role in the poor working conditions of the female workforce, says the study.
“The State’s regulatory systems, inspection of factory systems, etc., are hardly functional in the garment sector,” noted Dr. Chowdhury at the release of the report in Bengaluru.
This results in the creation of a low-wage, low-skilled, migrant workforce from historically marginalised tribes and communities. The study documented extreme physical and mental exhaustion among the women workers who are forced to take up housework on top of the factory work. A women labourer on an average works for about 16 hours a day.
“In this struggle they are not supported by the State or the capital. In a sense, it’s a solo struggle,” Dr. Chowdhury said.
Perpetuating marginalisation
She further recollected how during the survey the women hoped that their children would become IT employees and wouldn’t have to work in the factory. However, the inability of the State to provide a robust public education system acts as a hindrance, she pointed out.
It was found out that children of most workers drop out from schools. Around 60% of these children work in services, 17% in construction and 10% in agriculture, their earnings ranging between ₹10,000 to 15,000
‘State is complicit’
“The State is complicit in the production of a disempowered female workforce… In a sense, the State is standing between capital and worker, and while providing work to the workforce, the kind of work being provided is hugely disadvantageous to the workforce,” Ms. Chowdhury stressed.
Published – October 03, 2024 11:50 pm IST