How much do garment workers earn? What do they spend it on?

by May 2, 2016 Governance
A survey released by Garment and Textile Workers Union (GATWU) provides interesting insights into the lives of garment workers.

They don’t go to theatres to watch cinema. They can save no money with the earnings they make. They have many occupation-related health issues, yet their medical expense is just about 12,000 per annum! This is the fate of finances /revealed by a recent survey on garment workers.

Garment and Textile Workers Union (GATWU) is an independent trade union of garment workers in Karnataka. Centre for Workers Management (CWM) is a research organisation working on issues of labour standards and labour rights in the formal and informal sector in India. Both these organisations worked together to do a study on overview of the statutory minimum wages for garments in Karnataka the wage survey and issues of work intensity and other issues.

The survey throws up interesting results. Here is a chart based on the survey, where the consumer price index that determines inflation is mapped against time, and a chart showing the hike in minimum wage plotted against the value of dollar in rupees. It is followed by many other charts that give an insight into the state of the lives of garment workers.

Survey shared by: Garment and Textile Workers Union (GATWU)
Infographics: Shree D N

Read the full survey below:

Sections:

About News Desk

The News Desk at Citizen Matters puts out Press Releases, notifications and curated information useful to the urban reader.
Read more by News Desk

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Similar Story

Left off the list: How SIR is costing transgender voters their rights

by July 31, 2026 Governance
Mismatched documents, hostile families, and no dedicated support leave many trans citizens at risk of being removed from electoral rolls.

For Rayyan Monkey, a transgender voter from Mumbai, the SIR does not just threaten her right to vote. It also risks her ability to travel freely and exist as a woman in the country. Raised abroad before moving to Mumbai, Rayyan was left unmapped on the voter lists because her parents did not vote in 2002. The only way for her to complete her progeny mapping is to provide either her grandfather’s Brihanmumbai Municipal Corporation (BMC) card or her father’s birth certificate. However, after coming out to her family, Rayyan has been estranged from her extended relatives. Her father’s documents,…

Continue reading

Similar Story

Karnataka Apartment Management Bill: The proposed law needs one critical correction

by July 30, 2026 Governance
A flaw in the Karnataka Apartment Bill, 2026 could derail apartment governance in Bengaluru and beyond. Why the 50% allotment rule must be amended.

The proposed Karnataka Apartment Management Bill, 2026 is an important step towards simplifying apartment governance in the state. By replacing the overlapping provisions of the Karnataka Ownership Flats Act (KOFA) and the Karnataka Apartment Ownership Act (KAOA) with a single legislation, the government has an opportunity to create a more transparent and efficient legal framework for apartment communities. Many of the proposed provisions are likely to benefit homebuyers, apartment associations and developers alike, by reducing legal ambiguity and providing a common framework for the management of residential communities. However, one provision deserves urgent reconsideration before the Bill becomes law. Formation…

Continue reading