Minimum Wages

This page contains select documents and images regarding the work undertaken by GATWU on the issue of minimum wages for garment workers. According to the Minimum Wages Act (1948), minimum wages are state-mandated wages that an employer/firm needs to pay its workers and varies depending on skill, sector and spatial location of the industry. It consists of basic wage and dearness allowance.Periodic revision of minimum wages is mandated by the Act.

For garment workers, minimum wages are crucial because the industry does not pay more than minimum wages to its workers. This means that minimum wages act as standard-setting for the sector. Given that the there exists no collective bargaining agreement in the sector (i.e. where workers, worker representatives and factory managements collectively decide on wages within a factory), regular revisions of minimum wages are essential to ensure that real wages of workers are not falling.

Since 2007, GATWU has campaigned with the state to have minimum wages revised upwards; with the factory managements to ensure they pay increased dearness allowance which is revised every year; and with apparel corporations to insist that factory managements pay the increased D.A The material on minimum wages is organised according to four categories: Protests/Rallies/Campaigns; Memorandums and other official submissions; Court documents; Media coverage