Garment labourers not getting paid on time, causing them hardship
Workers in the garment industry haven’t got their salaries since December. This makes it difficult for them to meet their basic needs.
The workers complain of not getting salary on time. “Our salaries aren’t paid on time. It makes it difficult to pay the school fees of my child, buy ration for the house and pay the rent,” says Uma.s, a worker from a factory on Magadi road.
The garment workers said that they don’t receive their salary on a specified date every month which brings in uncertainty. “Our salaries come on different dates on different months. Sometimes we receive it on the 20th and sometimes on 25th of the month,” said Laxmi, a garment industry worker.
The members of the labour union said that the workers are facing these kinds of problems since many years. They need to receive their salary on the first week of the month but they don’t. A protest was held in 2016 by the workers and the garment union. “Despite no salary for a month, the workers don’t quit the industry as they won’t get the required provident fund and gratuity if they do so,” said Madina Tej, of the Garment Mahila Karmikara Munnade.
The department of labour said that they are making efforts to maintain the condition of the garment industry workers.
Experts believe that labourers should be paid on time so that they don’t have to trouble fulfilling their basic needs.”The women working in the garment industry are the breadwinners of their house. They need the money to fulfil their basic necessities on time. Though it’s an organised sector in the industry, the government doesn’t pay their salary on time which makes it difficult for them meet the basic requirements,” said, Ramdas Rao, National Council Members from Karnataka Chapter.
Good effort, but it would have made the story better if you had been able to show the trouble the workers get into, bring in a some human interest.
