India: Restore higher minimum wages for garment workers in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu
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| In partnership with a group of trade unions representing and fighting for decent wages, social security, safe working conditions, and other legal entitlements of thousands of workers in the global garments supply chain based in Tiruppur, Tamil Nadu, India. These include Banian and Pothu Thozhilalar Sangham (Centre of Indian Trade Unions-affiliated) and Indian National Trade Union Congress (INTUC). |
An estimated 600,000 garment workers are employed in Tiruppur (state of Tamil Nadu, India) which supplies the world’s biggest brands and fast-fashion labels. We are demanding higher minimum wages for the workers and opposing the latest revision in May. The government of Tamil Nadu announced a 'draft' revision in minimum wages in November 2023 after a 10-year gap (while the law mandates not more than five), that too after being hauled up by the Supreme Court of India. But the 'final' order in May this year, proposed an even lower rate. The government had, on the sly, changed the method of calculating 'dearness allowance' (or compensation for inflation) by slashing this component of the minimum wage by 50%. Another ruse of the state government, yielding to the employers' lobby, is to set different rates of minimum wages for the 'tailoring industry' and 'hosiery and knitwear manufactory' since 2016. This has made it possible for all employers making knitwear apparel to simply declare they belong to latter sector, with the lower rate. We demand an end to this spurious distinction. We ask the government to immediately restore the 'draft' revision, which is already too little too late, and strictly follow a tripartite, transparent process in minimum wage fixation. The minimum wage for all workers should be at least 26,000 rupees (US$310) per month, which just covers basic living costs for worker families today.
