Women power Bengaluru’s garment industry: A struggle for fairer conditions

Bengaluru, often hailed as India’s tech hub, owes much of its growth to an unsung workforce—the women in its garment industry. A new report by the Alternative Law Forum (ALF) sheds light on the lives of these workers, primarily from low-income and migrant backgrounds, who drive the city’s export sector.

Also read: Bengaluru’s garment sector faces alarming 5,000 tonnes of textile waste annually

Workers endure long hours, verbal abuse, and threats of job loss

Titled “Stitching Lives, Organising Workers”, the report, authored by Swathi Shivanand, delves into the challenges faced by garment workers in Bengaluru. The city’s export-oriented factories, which began booming in the early 2000s, have long relied on women laborers, many of whom work in grueling conditions for low wages. The report describes a phenomenon known as “production torture,” where workers endure long hours, verbal abuse, and threats of job loss due to unrealistically high production targets.

Despite these harsh conditions, unions such as the Garment and Textile Workers’ Union (GATWU) have played a key role in improving labor standards. Over time, their advocacy has led to fairer wages, reduced harassment, and better enforcement of maternity and overtime rights in unionized workplaces.

The report also highlights the migration of factories to peri-urban areas like Tumakuru and Kolar, which has complicated union efforts. ALF calls for stronger protections for workers, including improved wages, anti-dismissal laws, and better infrastructure for union organizing, in a bid to create a more equitable and sustainable garment industry in Bengaluru.