2007
A tripartite agreement involving Texport Overseas management, the union and GAP is listed. The source also records an informal agreement with Bombay Rayon Fashion.
A worker-led platform for organizing garment and textile workers, building grassroots leadership, and working toward living wages, safe workplaces, dignity, equality and freedom of association.
The source material describes a grassroots garment workers' union with an active membership of more than 5,000, with a strong focus on women workers and worker-led leadership.
The source material describes Bengaluru and its surrounding region as a major export-garment centre, employing roughly half a million workers, with women making up more than 80% of the workforce. It notes that only a small share of the workforce was unionized when the organizing effort began.
The union model is built around grassroots leadership, worker participation and collective organization inside the garment industry.
Work includes campaigns around wages, labour-law rights, compensation, workplace conditions and freedom of association.
The organization works with workers, community organizations and wider labour-rights networks to advance workers' interests.
The original site describes a range of campaigns and organizing activities. The sections below preserve the main subjects and historical milestones while presenting them in a cleaner format.
The union's campaign sought improved statutory minimum wages in Karnataka's garment sector. The source records organizing from 2007 onward, legal action and later tripartite discussions around wage revisions.
Awareness work included gate meetings, pamphlets, worker meetings and training. The source records campaigns for proper Variable Dearness Allowance and engagement with international labour-rights allies.
The source describes organizing at the Arvind Lifestyle warehouse in Ramanagara, including disputes over bonuses, food allowances, overtime and recognition of the union.
Training programmes cover legal rights and trade-union organizing, with the stated aim of developing grassroots leaders.
The work described includes support for Labour Welfare Board scholarship applications, crèche obligations and collaboration with Garment Mahila Karmikara Munnade.
The source describes challenges around attempts by some employers to reduce housing and travel allowances following wage revisions, and efforts to raise the issue with labour authorities and brands.
A tripartite agreement involving Texport Overseas management, the union and GAP is listed. The source also records an informal agreement with Bombay Rayon Fashion.
The source records work with the Workers Rights Consortium around Dearness Allowance and a Karnataka High Court challenge concerning changes to the 2009 wage notification. The court action is described as succeeding in January 2013.
Organizing at the Arvind Lifestyle Brand warehouse in Ramanagara is described as leading to action over labour-law violations.
The union says it was accepted as a member of Karnataka's tripartite Minimum Wage Advisory Board and continued on the board.
The source describes international pressure around Dearness Allowance and a 2014 minimum-wage notification following tripartite negotiations. It also records changes to wage zones affecting surrounding districts.
The source describes expansion of organizing toward Ramanagara, Mandya, Maddur, Mysore, Tumakuru and Shivamogga, including membership growth outside Bengaluru.
The source website hosts a wage survey covering 120 garment workers in Bengaluru. The figures below are historical survey data and should not be treated as current wages.
| Category | Sample size | Average wage (Rs.) |
|---|---|---|
| Tailor | 83 | 4,502.05 |
| Checker | 12 | 3,795.83 |
| Helper | 11 | 3,778.20 |
| Ironer | 10 | 3,706.40 |
| Feeding helper | 2 | 4,100.00 |
| Setter | 1 | 4,502.00 |
| Housekeeping | 1 | 3,500.00 |
The survey was designed to examine wages across different garment occupations and family income/expenditure in the context of rising living costs.
The source describes Garment Mahila Karmikara Munnade as a community-based women's organization focused on rights education. It began in 2002 as a pre-union initiative, was formally founded in 2004 and registered in 2011.
Women approach the organization for support with domestic-violence cases and counselling. Family cases may be referred to the Alternative Law Forum.
Work has included sanitation and water access, a Safe City survey with Vimochana, and advocacy for street lighting and other safety measures.
Activities described include voter-registration drives, a children's library, public-fund accountability and Kannada-language classes for migrant workers in collaboration with government.
The source reports a May Day rally and meeting in Maddur, Mandya district, with workers from Maddur, Ramanagara, Bengaluru and Mysore. It describes participation by nearly one thousand workers and a focus on garment-worker rights and working-class unity.
The source reports annual wage and expenditure surveys, including work involving workers outside Bengaluru such as Maddur, Ramanagara and Mysore.
The site records a December 2013 website launch and occupational-health awareness programme organized with Garment Mahila Karmikara Munnade, attended by more than 185 workers and family members.
The source describes legal representation concerning workers' claims after the closure of Cuthberts Apparels in Bengaluru.
The source reports mediation and later additional compensation following the death of a worker's child at a factory crèche, with the total compensation described on the site as Rs. 8.55 lakh.
A February 2016 archive entry records a rally and hall meeting called around statutory minimum wages for garment workers on 31 January 2016.
The original structure page lists the 2014–2017 executive committee. This is historical information from that page.
| Position | Name | Workplace / description |
|---|---|---|
| President | Prathibha R | Full-time activist and former garment worker |
| Vice President | Shruthi | Shahi Exports Ltd, Unit 26, Maddur |
| Vice President | Padma | ECC 2, Srirangapattana |
| General Secretary | Ratna K P | Texport Creations |
| Joint Secretary | Umesh N L | Shahi Exports Ltd, Unit 26, Maddur |
| Organising Secretary | Naveen | ECC 2, Srirangapattana |
| Treasurer | Jayaram A H | Aravind Lifestyle Brand Ltd., Ramanagara |
The original donation page says the organizations are membership-based and supported by worker dues, while also seeking support to expand their activities.
The source says Rs. 10,000 would support a full-time GATWU organizer for one month.
The source lists two union offices and describes establishment/rent costs of around Rs. 7,000 per month for each office.
The bi-monthly “Suji-Dara” newsletter is described as having circulated since 2005, with about 2,000 copies and an estimated readership of around 5,000 garment workers.
The source notes the need for funds to continue landmark legal struggles, including work around minimum wages.
Garment and Textile Workers Union
17/1, 1st Floor (near Balaji Kalayan Mantapa)
New Guddadahalli, Mysore Road
Bengaluru 560026, India
Email: gatwu@rediffmail.com
Landline: +91 080 26745242
Jayaram: +91 9482444011
Prathibha: +91 9945294865
No. 13 (near Muneswara Temple)
5th Cross, Nagasandra Post
Nelagadaranahalli (Peenya)
Bengaluru 560073, India
No. 216, ‘Channakeshava Nilaya’, 2nd Floor
Near Ganesh Temple, Pantarapalya
Nayandahalli, Mysore Road
Bengaluru 560039, India
Rathna G.M: +91 9901290495
Madeenataj: +91 9686229761