Textile workers’ union slams Karnataka govt for exclusion from wage revision

Bengaluru: The Garment and Textile Workers’ Union (GATWU) has criticised the state govt for excluding 19 labour-intensive industries, including the garment sector, from the revised minimum wage notification issued Friday. The union said the move has caused injustice to lakhs of workers, especially women, whose wages are among lowest wages in the state.

In a statement, the union alleged that the decision was taken arbitrarily and pointed out that the govt did not specify any timeline for revising the wages in these sectors. It stated that most workers employed in the excluded industries are women and belong to economically weaker sections.

The govt revised minimum wages at uniform rates for several scheduled industries and stated in its final notification that the revision was aimed at addressing differences in wage rates and ensuring equal minimum pay for all categories of workers.

However, GATWU argued that the govt’s claim of ensuring equality was contradicted by the exclusion of 19 industries from the revision. According to the statement, wages for these industries will instead be revised separately through the committee method under the Wage Code, 2019, as the sectors involve piecework patterns and are labour-intensive.

The union said women workers in these industries are already paid significantly lower wages compared with those in several other sectors and argued that the govt should have prioritised these industries during the revision process. The union accused the govt of following a gender-discriminatory approach in fixing minimum wages despite publicly promoting women’s empowerment initiatives.

The union particularly highlighted the garment sector, stating that minimum wage revisions in the industry have remained unfair for nearly 40 years. It said around 4 lakh garment workers in Karnataka currently earn a minimum wage of approximately Rs 13,000 per month, nearly 30% lower than wages paid in other industries.

While welcoming the govt’s move to increase minimum wages by 60% for workers in other sectors, GATWU said excluding industries dominated by women defeated the stated objective of ensuring equal wages.

The union urged the govt to immediately extend the revised minimum wage structure to the garment industry and the remaining excluded sectors.