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

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:

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published.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

Similar Story

A decade without a Master Plan: Who should be planning Bengaluru’s future?

Bengaluru’s future must focus on breaking free from outdated frameworks and embracing citizen-led, climate-resilient planning.

Nearly a decade ago, while I was working on the Revised Master Plan for Bengaluru (RMP 2031), a senior planner remarked: “Only the Bengaluru Development Authority (BDA) has the legal right to plan for Bengaluru.” Today, that assertion is unravelling in a tussle between the newly formed Greater Bengaluru Authority (GBA) and the BDA over who should plan for the city’s future. What is more troubling is that Bengaluru’s current master plan, the RMP 2015, is based on surveys from 2003, nearly two decades out of date. The Karnataka Town and Country Planning Act (KTCPA) of 1961 requires revision every…

Similar Story

Chennai, meet your new MLAs

The TVK swept the TN assembly elections and formed the government in the State. Here is the list of newly elected MLAs.

Tamilaga Vettri Kazhagam (TVK) headed by actor-turned-politician C Joseph Vijay emerged as the single largest party in the recent Tamil Nadu assembly election. Launched in 2024, the debutant party won 108 of the available 234 seats, and secured power after gaining post-election support from Congress, Indian Union Muslim League (IUML), Viduthalai Chiruthaigal Katchi (VCK), CPI, CPI (M) and some rebel All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam (AIADMK) MLAs. Vijay was sworn in as the Chief Minister on May 10. In Chennai, TVK’s tally was an impressive 18 of 20 seats.  A leading star testing political waters and finding success has…