‘Munnade’ is an organisation of women workers in the garment industry in Bangalore. Any woman garment worker in any garment factory in Bangalore can be a member paying the membership fee and agreeing to abide by the constitution of the organisation. ‘Munnade’ in Kannada language is to ‘move forward’. Munnade is also known as ‘Women Garment Workers’ Front’.

What has Munnade done?

• Enrolled nearly 1000 workers from various factories giving them the confidence of being part of a collective run by women workers.
• Held protest demonstration within factories when women workers are abused or attacked.
• Held demonstrations in public places like the Town Hall to register protest against government and management policies like introducing night shift without consulting workers or liberalizing labour laws.
• Held solidarity demonstrations on many occasions when garment workers came to harm like the death of 12 workers in a Delhi garment factory fire in 2005.
• Publicly honored senior women garment workers who have put in over 15 years of work in the factories by presenting mementos
• Helped workers file complaints with the police when physically assaulted by supervisors and managers.
• Helped file complaints with the statutory State Women’s Commission when workers are sexually harassed or abused otherwise.
• Helped workers to file complaints with the labour department, the provident fund organisation and employees’ state insurance organisation when their labour rights and social security regulations are violated.
• Formed an advisory committee of social activists in the city to guide and advise the organisation.
• Formed local committees in neighborhoods where garment workers live and taken up issues related to civic amenities and welfare.

Contact Munnade at karmikaramunnade@gmail.com