The Garment and Textile Workers' Union (GATWU) has strongly criticized the Karnataka state government for excluding 19 labour-intensive industries, including the garment sector, from the revised minimum wage notification issued on Friday. The union asserts that this decision has caused injustice to lakhs of workers, particularly women, who already earn some of the lowest wages in the state.
Allegations of Arbitrary Decision
In a statement, GATWU alleged that the exclusion was made arbitrarily and pointed out that the government did not provide any timeline for revising wages in these sectors. The union highlighted that most workers in the excluded industries are women and belong to economically weaker sections, making the move especially detrimental.
Government's Claim vs Reality
The government revised minimum wages at uniform rates for several scheduled industries, stating in its final notification that the revision aimed to address wage differences and ensure equal minimum pay for all categories of workers. However, GATWU argued that this claim of ensuring equality is contradicted by the exclusion of 19 industries from the revision.
According to the union, wages for these industries will instead be revised separately through the committee method under the Wage Code, 2019, as these sectors involve piecework patterns and are labour-intensive. GATWU noted that women workers in these industries are already paid significantly lower wages compared to those in several other sectors and argued that the government should have prioritized these industries during the revision process.
Gender Discrimination Accusation
The union accused the government of following a gender-discriminatory approach in fixing minimum wages, despite publicly promoting women's empowerment initiatives. GATWU particularly highlighted the garment sector, stating that minimum wage revisions in this 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, which is nearly 30% lower than wages paid in other industries.
Call for Immediate Action
While welcoming the government's move to increase minimum wages by 60% for workers in other sectors, GATWU stated that excluding industries dominated by women defeats the stated objective of ensuring equal wages. The union urged the government to immediately extend the revised minimum wage structure to the garment industry and the remaining excluded sectors.
