as defined by the ILO<\/a>. Sheela\u2019s family diet lacks meat or fruits, relying solely on basic provisions from the state\u2019s public distribution system. Their modest one-bedroom dwelling in Rajarajeswari Nagar sees few indulgences, with eating out and gift-giving reserved for special occasions.<\/p>\nSheela often works overtime to supplement her income, earning extra to cover rent, school fees, and groceries. However, unexpected medical emergencies wreak havoc on her budget, compelling her to seek additional income through tailoring work for neighbours – 4-5 sari blouses to make Rs. 2,000 more.<\/p>\n
Family Debts<\/b><\/h3>\n
Sheela\u2019s family background is similar to several garment workers, who are first-generation factory employees (report link). In 2003, at age 15, Sheela dropped out of school due to financial pressures and moved from rural Mandya to Bengaluru with her family. Her father and elder brother worked as a security guard and a driver, respectively. Upon marriage at 17, Sheela faced financial constraints as her husband controlled her income. \u201cHe (husband) used to control what I did and didn\u2019t give much money. He also drank a lot,\u201d recalls Sheela.<\/span><\/p>\nFour years later, his death left her with the responsibility of raising their son and repaying loans for her father’s medical bills and her husband’s dialysis treatment. Sheela took up a garment factory job, but it took her five years and briefly working for the creditors to repay most of the debts. Sheela has been back at her factory job for the past two years. Her mother continues to repay a Rs. 4 lakh loan for her father’s medical expenses.<\/span><\/p>\nEmotional Toll<\/b><\/h3>\n
Life is far from steady as every month there would be some emergency. The stress levels are so high that the mother keeps a close watch on her daughter. \u201c<\/span>Nam ammange bhaya<\/span><\/i> (my mother is scared),\u201d she says. So much so that Manju has no social interaction apart from routine transactional conversations with colleagues and neighbours. Conversations about her personal life, especially her dreams for her son, overwhelm her at multiple points, possibly pointing to the need for an emotional outlet.<\/span><\/p>\nIn Cividep\u2019s latest report, nearly 58% of garment workers surveyed said higher wages were their top priority. The reason? Insufficient earnings, cited by 88% of respondents. To make ends meet, 82% of workers resorted to overtime, while 16% took on additional jobs, spending an extra two hours a day working outside the factory. (*link). This highlights the urgent need for living wages.<\/p>\n
ILO notes that millions of workers worldwide cannot afford healthy food, decent housing, medical care, or schooling for their children due to low wages. In this context, the Indian government\u2019s plan to introduce living wages by 2025 is crucial to improving workers’ livelihoods.<\/span><\/p>\nSheela has no option but to be frugal. On some days, exhaustion kicks in, and she pauses. Then she remembers her son\u2019s dream to join the police force. “<\/span>Nam jeewna hengo nadidhoythu; aadre nam maga vodli antha ashte kashta padtairadu<\/span><\/i> (My life will run somehow but I\u2019m working hard so that my son doesn\u2019t have to live like me).” She hopes to save more for his future.. \u201cMaybe, I will save some money this month and I can put him in a better school,\u201d she says, breaking into a rare smile.<\/span><\/p>\n[\/et_pb_text][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][\/et_pb_section][et_pb_section fb_built=”1″ custom_padding_last_edited=”on|phone” admin_label=”Section” module_id=”discrimation” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” background_color=”#efe7d7″ background_enable_image=”off” background_size=”custom” background_image_width=”42%” background_image_height=”42%” background_repeat=”repeat” custom_margin=”|-30px||-30px|false|false” custom_padding=”2px||115px|0px|false|false” custom_padding_tablet=”2px||115px|0px|false|false” custom_padding_phone=”|0px||0px|false|false” da_popup_slug=”discrimation” da_disable_devices=”off|off|off” global_colors_info=”{}” da_is_popup=”off” da_exit_intent=”off” da_has_close=”on” da_alt_close=”off” da_dark_close=”off” da_not_modal=”on” da_is_singular=”off” da_with_loader=”off” da_has_shadow=”on”][et_pb_row _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” max_width=”1211px” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”|0px|8px|0px|false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”4_4″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_divider color=”#E09900″ divider_style=”dotted” divider_weight=”3px” _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” custom_margin=”||23px|||” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_divider][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cividep.org\/workers-observatory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/09\/discrimination_gender.png” title_text=”discrimination_gender” align=”center” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” width=”100%” max_width=”29%” max_width_tablet=”34%” max_width_phone=”67%” max_width_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_margin=”-32px||10px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font_size=”22px” header_font=”Prata||||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#8e817c” header_font_size=”75px” custom_margin=”||0px|||” custom_padding=”||15px|||” header_font_size_tablet=”73px” header_font_size_phone=”38px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_css_main_element=”font-weight: 400|| ||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Discrimination<\/span><\/h1>\n[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|700|||||||” text_line_height=”1.8em” header_font=”Prata||||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#2d2121″ header_font_size=”100px” width=”100%” width_tablet=”100%” width_phone=”92%” width_last_edited=”on|phone” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”|260px|15px|109px||” custom_margin_tablet=”” custom_margin_phone=”-6px|15px|0px|15px|false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” text_font_size_tablet=”18px” text_font_size_phone=”15px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” header_font_size_tablet=”96px” header_font_size_phone=”50px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_css_main_element=”font-weight: 400|| ||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Gender discrimination remains a widespread issue, resulting in unequal pay, limited opportunities, and heavier workloads for women. Despite international agreements like the UN Human Rights Declaration and CEDAW, women in global value chains, particularly in the garment sector, continue to face deep-rooted inequities. In India, gender bias begins early, with families prioritising boys’ education while women shoulder the burden of unpaid domestic work. This inequity carries into low-wage industries like garment manufacturing, where women often experience exploitation and financial insecurity. Cividep\u2019s latest study (link) shows that by age 40, many women are physically and emotionally drained from years of underpayment and discrimination. The graphic below highlights this journey \u2014 from childhood struggles to workplace exploitation and financial instability in later life.<\/p>\n
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The Life Cycle of a Garment Worker<\/h2>\n
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From childhood, women like Lakshmi face inequality shaped by caste and poverty. Growing up in a lower-caste household, education takes a backseat to household chores. By 17, she is married, and school is a distant dream. As a garment worker, Lakshmi earns less than \u20b911,000 monthly, faces harassment, and juggles factory and home duties with little help. As retirement nears, with no savings or career growth, Lakshmi faces an uncertain future. Like many, she plans to return to her village, trapped in a cycle of discrimination and struggle \u2014 an all-too-common story for several garment workers.<\/p>\n
[\/et_pb_text][et_pb_image src=”https:\/\/cividep.org\/workers-observatory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/10\/disctimation-1-1.jpg” title_text=”disctimation-1″ show_in_lightbox=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.2″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px||||false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”50px||||false|false” custom_margin_phone=”-12px||||false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” border_radii=”on|10px|10px|10px|10px” global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_image][\/et_pb_column][\/et_pb_row][et_pb_row column_structure=”1_2,1_2″ make_equal=”on” _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”49px||||false|false” custom_padding=”0px||0px||false|false” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_video src=”https:\/\/youtu.be\/1WXnuYGB214?si=fqJBHznzA-zOLEL0″ _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” custom_margin=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” custom_padding=”0px|0px|0px|0px|false|false” border_radii=”on|10px|10px|10px|10px” box_shadow_style=”preset3″ global_colors_info=”{}”][\/et_pb_video][\/et_pb_column][et_pb_column type=”1_2″ _builder_version=”4.20.4″ _module_preset=”default” background_image=”https:\/\/cividep.org\/workers-observatory\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/bg2jpg.jpg” border_radii=”on|10px|10px|10px|10px” box_shadow_style=”preset3″ global_colors_info=”{}”][et_pb_text _builder_version=”4.27.0″ _module_preset=”default” text_font=”|700|||||||” text_line_height=”1.8em” header_font=”Prata||||||||” header_text_align=”center” header_text_color=”#2d2121″ header_font_size=”100px” header_2_font=”|800|||||||” width=”100%” width_tablet=”100%” width_phone=”92%” width_last_edited=”on|phone” module_alignment=”center” custom_margin=”15px|260px|5px|109px|false|false” custom_margin_tablet=”||33px||false|false” custom_margin_phone=”|260px|10px|109px|false|false” custom_margin_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_padding=”0px||||false|false” text_font_size_tablet=”18px” text_font_size_phone=”15px” text_font_size_last_edited=”on|desktop” header_font_size_tablet=”96px” header_font_size_phone=”50px” header_font_size_last_edited=”on|phone” custom_css_main_element=”font-weight: 400|| ||” global_colors_info=”{}”]<\/p>\n
Worker Story<\/h2>\n
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Saroja Fought Hard To Break Into Garment Work. But After Three Decades of Stitching The Same Seams, She\u2019s In The Same Spot, Choosing Friendship Over Advancement and Survival Over Ambition. Now, She Pours Her Hopes Into Her Granddaughter\u2019s Future.<\/p>\n
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<\/h2>\nShe Broke Into Tailoring, But Stayed Stuck For 30 Years<\/h2>\nBy Nikita Joseph<\/span><\/span><\/h4>\n<\/span><\/p>\nCan you imagine training yourself for a promotion during lunch breaks? Learning how to operate an industrial sewing machine on a near-empty stomach with the help of a few seniors? Saroja (name changed) did a career pivot in the 1990s, long before it became an HR trend. This high school dropout went from being a helper, who scooped up textile bits in a huge garment factory, to a tailor.<\/span><\/p>\nThis was a successful pivot in an industry that doesn\u2019t offer growth opportunities for its largely female workforce. \u201cI did not know that I could call myself a tailor. When I applied for jobs at other factories, I said that I could stitch sleeves or collars,\u201d recalls Saroja, a 55-year-old resident of Bengaluru<\/span>,<\/b> with a smile<\/span>.<\/b> She got the jobs but her growth story seems to halt there. In the last three decades, Saroja has remained a tailor despite shifting to more than 10 workplaces for better salaries, and less abusive work environments. Contrast this with the career trajectory of Saroja\u2019s junior colleague and friend Palani, who got opportunities to upskill, and rise to managerial roles with better pay.<\/span><\/p>\nSystemic Biases Prevalent<\/b><\/h3>\n
The stagnant position isn\u2019t due to a lack of potential or drive –\u00a0 the odds against a female worker are one too many. <\/span>\u201c<\/span>Women rarely go beyond the role of supervisor,\u201d says Saroja. But talented men can go on to become general managers. The disparity also shows up in unequal pay for male and female supervisors, says Saroja.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nBut why then did Saroja refuse a supervisory role when offered one in 2009? At that point, she was at the forefront of a collective demand for a long overdue wage increment at her factory. The women persisted even in the face of termination threats. Finally, when Saroja and her colleagues threatened to stop work, the officials assured them an increment.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nHer leadership among the factory\u2019s workforce did not go unnoticed \u2013 the General Manager was quick to ask her to be a supervisor. She and fellow workers knew this was a ploy –\u00a0 it was easier to get her terminated from the new position citing her inability to get workers to meet their targets. She turned down the offer. \u201c<\/span>I wouldn\u2019t have been able to support my fellow workers if I took up the role,\u201d she says.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nUnited They Don\u2019t Stand<\/b><\/h3>\n
Times have changed since then.<\/span> \u201c<\/span>There used to be unity among workers but now this is not the case,\u201d says Saroja.<\/span> This is perhaps why she doesn\u2019t make much of the rising number of female supervisors appointed by her current employer. \u201cIncreasingly, the management has started forcing workers to stay back till as late as 1 am to complete targets. The male supervisors couldn\u2019t bear such pressure and resigned,\u201d says Saroja.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nGetting female tailors and helpers to replace them was the obvious choice \u2013 they are more pliable and could also be expected to pitch in with the work<\/span>. <\/b>Saroja considers the new female supervisors to be pro-management.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhen asked how these changes have affected the dynamics among the workers, Saroja says: \u201cThey have no regard for friendships; their only aim is to get the others to complete production targets.\u201d She is resigned to how management tactics distort and dismantle the possibilities of female leadership. Her experiences also make her doubt her abilities. \u201c<\/span>I am uneducated and weak in English; so I might not be able to do the record-keeping and documentation work required of a supervisor,\u201d she says.<\/span><\/p>\nShe does not make much of her life\u2019s work – one spent single-handedly raising a family, persisting through abusive and dead-end jobs, and growing to be a recognised union leader. \u201cGirls these days do not aspire to work in the garment industry, and rightfully so. They are looking for better opportunities.\u201d This observation also links to the evidence pointing to high attrition rates among women workers in the garment industry.\u00a0 \u2018The Home and The World of Work\u2019 report shows that the majority of the local workers surveyed (98%) were in the peak years of their working lives. However, 53% had spent just between one to five years in these factories, and there was a clear decline thereafter. Only 30% had spent 6-10 years, and just 10% had spent 11-15 years working in the industry.<\/span><\/p>\nAs for Palani, Saroja has only good wishes for him. When Palani got promoted, she was one of the persons he had called. \u201cMy blessings will always be with you,\u201d she told her friend. Her confident and engaging demeanour falters only when speaking of her family. <\/span>\u201cI am content with whatever I\u2019ve got so far. My only regret is not being able to educate my daughter better.\u201d Saroja hopes to make up for this by educating her granddaughter and helping realise her dreams.<\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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Extractive Labour Practices<\/h1>\n
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Extractive Labour Practices refer to the exploitation of workers through excessive, unpaid labour under duress. Defined by the ILO, forced labour includes any work imposed on individuals under threat, without their voluntary consent. Rightful working conditions are a far cry for garment factory workers in India, who toil long hours to meet unrealistic production targets set by high-street brands, enforced by their Indian suppliers. Cividep\u2019s latest study reveals that 94% of Bengaluru’s garment workers endure grueling 9-hour shifts, often extending to 12 hours, with no respite in terms of pay or leave (see below infographic).<\/p>\n
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A Day in the Life of Rangamma<\/h2>\n
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Workers like Rangamma, who stitches shirt collars for high-end brands in a Bengaluru export factory, endure relentless pressure and abuse to meet impossible demands. Starting her day at 5:30 am, she faces verbal, physical, and sexual harassment throughout her shift. This graphic illustrates Rangamma’s exhausting routine, from early morning to midnight, highlighting the stress and exploitation she and her fellow workers experience. This systemic abuse has profound social and personal consequences.<\/p>\n
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Worker Story<\/h2>\n
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Work Shouldn\u2019t Be Torture. But When Yelling, Shouting & Physical Abuse Are Normalised at Garment Factories That Chase Targets, Workers Like Seetha Remain In Perpetual Fight-and-flight Mode<\/p>\n
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<\/h2>\nDesperately Seeking Respect<\/b><\/h2>\n
By Nikita Joseph<\/p>\n
<\/span><\/p>\nThree months into her first job as a tailor at a Bengaluru garment factory, 20-year-old Seetha <\/span>(*name changed)<\/span><\/i> had had enough. A small error she had made incited her supervisor to yell and throw a bundle of cloth at her, even as her colleagues watched. She tried her best to stay on but she only lasted another three months, before she resigned in the hope of finding a better workplace.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThis was in 2007. More than 15 years on, the 36-year-old has concluded that her work environment is not going to change, no matter how many job hops she does. Seetha appeared for the interview tired, wary, and afraid of losing her job for talking about her experiences at four different factories in a decade.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\n\u201cIt is torture,\u201d is how Seetha described her work environment. From skipping lunches and toilet breaks to staying mum through coercion and abuse from supervisors, she has seen it all, so her employers can meet unrealistic production targets that seem to be increasing every other year.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nWhy Is Work \u2018Torture\u2019?<\/b><\/h3>\n
Seetha\u2019s is not an isolated experience. The Home And The World of Work report cites how in its survey of 184 Bengaluru garment workers , 100% and 61% of the local workers (those hailing from Karnataka) reported experiencing verbal and physical abuse (having a bundle of clothes thrown or a chair pushed at them) respectively. As many as 68% of the workers said that their factory imposed time restrictions on the use of the toilet, and these are enforced by controlling the number of visits and amount of time spent in the toilet, as well as through verbal abuse. Nearly 66% experienced physical isolation inflicted as a form of punishment and 39% had undergone sexual harassment.<\/p>\n
These methods are imposed <\/span>due to short lead times (time given by brands to contract manufacturers to deliver orders). There is intense pressure on shopfloors to complete work, and supervisors pass on the burden to workers through verbal, physical, and sometimes sexual abuse, and penalties. <\/span>The International Labour Organisation (ILO) refers to these extractive labour practices as situations in which persons are coerced to work through the use of violence or intimidation (<\/span>Read more<\/span><\/a>).<\/span><\/p>\nGarment factories have been using such practices despite interventions and international outcry. Many of them have devised novel ways to extract more from their employees. At Seetha\u2019s second workplace, the d<\/span>ining room was strategically placed four floors above the shopfloor<\/span> so workers <\/span>would rather miss lunch and not \u2018waste\u2019 time using the stairs<\/span>. <\/span>\u201cThe days I managed to drink water once a day were memorable,\u201d she recalls.\u00a0\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nThe other tactic from the same employer was to force workers to do overtime (OT) regularly and give them a day off instead of the mandatory OT pay. This is illegal as workers should be paid double their wage rate for overtime work. Seetha says she prefers to earn more because the regular wage is low.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNo Break<\/b><\/h3>\n
When such work practices lead to physical ill-health, the workers find it humiliating to avail of sick leave. \u201cIf you\u2019re here just for time pass, you might as well sit at home,\u201d says the supervisor when workers go with leave requests. Permission is a long-drawn-out process – approvals have to come from the supervisor, floor-in-charge, Production Manager, HR, and sometimes, General Manager. Complaints lead to more work and penalties.<\/span><\/p>\nSuch practices have been normalised in the garment industry over the years.<\/span>\u00a0Among the respondents for the Home And The World Of Work (link) research study, about 82% of the local workers said that they did overtime work, while only\u00a0 58% of them were paid double for overtime work. In addition, about 70% of the workers said that they are asked to work on Sundays or other public holidays, but\u00a0 58% of them are given\u00a0 what is known as a compensatory off sometime during the week<\/span>, instead of the legally mandated overtime pay.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nAt a point in her five-year tenure as a helper at factory number two, Seetha was fed up with being hauled up by her supervisor for every small \u2018mistake\u2019. In response, she garnered the strength to take an unexpected step. Once she countered her supervisor: \u201cI\u2019m doing my best to complete the work on time by not even eating lunch. If you can do what you are asking me to, I\u2019ll admit that I\u2019m at fault.\u201d Such a response only elicited more retribution.<\/span><\/p>\nWhen things went beyond control, she reported her supervisor to Munnade Social Organisation, a Bengaluru<\/span>-based non-profit dedicated to the welfare of women garment workers. <\/span>The Production Manager was brought in and upon checking Seetha\u2019s machine, he accepted that she was right. He dismissed the supervisor and took her back to work.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nNew Ways Of Control<\/b><\/h3>\n
Small victories like this remain exceptions, as strategies to systematise a culture of coercion continue. After the pandemic lockdowns, work pressures have intensified. The factory started appointing more female supervisors, touted under the garb of female empowerment. \u201cFemale supervisors can harass us more as they even follow us to the washrooms and lunch hall,\u201d says Seetha. \u201cThey come inside the washrooms and accuse us of taking breaks.\u201d<\/span><\/p>\nSeetha has witnessed how many former friends and peers have changed after being promoted to supervisors. \u201cThey don’t have the permission to remain friends and if they talk to some workers differently, they will be termed partial,\u201d she says. <\/p>\n
Seetha may not be surprised by these everyday betrayals, but she is not resigned to her fate. During the lockdowns, she engaged in piece-rate work from home for another factory, which did not pay two months\u2019 dues. Seetha decided to change her factory and is now at a marginally better workplace. Here, the latest by which workers can enter the gates is 9:15 am, after which they have to report late coming, whereas, in factory number 2, the gates were shut by 9:05 am. She is also paid the legal rate for overtime work now. Her current role, which involves stitching collars, does not come under a target-based system. These are only small changes, but Seetha feels much more relaxed about work than before.\u00a0<\/span><\/p>\nSalaries across all factories remain abysmally low and hardly rise beyond Rs. 9,500 per month. Seetha has chronic back pain, headache, joint pain, and anaemia. She is the sole breadwinner of her family, as her husband has stopped economically supporting them. The one time her face lights up is when talking about her son, whom she has admitted into a computer science course at a private college. She dreams of a bright future for him, where he is respected at his workplace and free from abuse. And perhaps then, she can finally let go of a career that has taken much more than what it has given her. <\/span><\/p>\n <\/p>\n
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