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5 October, 2026More than 2,000 women garment workers in Karnataka, India, have taken to the streets to demand access to their own savings. Led by IndustriALL affiliates KIGWU and Unions United, workers from Shahi Exports and Laguna Clothing are protesting new rules that make them wait three years, instead of two months, to withdraw their pension savings from the Employees' Pension Scheme (EPS).
In Maddur, workers delivered a memorandum demanding control over their earned wages and their right to social security.
What the new rules mean for workers
Workers with less than ten years of eligible service must now wait 36 months to withdraw their EPS savings, compared with two months before. Workers who lose their jobs can withdraw 75 per cent of their eligible provident fund (PF) savings, with the remaining 25 per cent held back for one year. The rules also set limits and conditions on withdrawals for illness, education, marriage and housing.
Dithhi Bhattacharya, president of KIGWU, says:
“With poverty-level wages, workers cannot afford to lose their only savings under PF, making this a do-or-die struggle. KIGWU has campaigned against the new changes for the past month despite threats to our leaders on the shop floor. The protest at Shahi Exports in Maddur, along with similar protests elsewhere, was the culmination of this campaign.”
Pushing brands on social protection
Since 2020, IndustriALL’s TGSL social protection committee has worked to ensure that global brands and investors understand the importance of strong social protection systems in production countries. Important progress has been made for garment workers in Bangladesh with the employment injury scheme and the new social protections added to the Cambodian template collective bargaining agreement.
“The right to social protection is recognized in international labour law. These women are fighting for savings they have earned, often on poverty wages, and they should not have to wait years to access them. Brands sourcing from Shahi Exports and Laguna Clothing cannot stay silent. They must use their influence to back workers’ demands and support strong social protection systems in the countries where their clothes are made. We stand in solidarity with Karnataka’s garment workers, who are taking up the mantle to defend their rights,”
says Christina Hajagos-Clausen, IndustriALL textile director.