KARNATAKA – The American Apparel and Footwear Association (AAFA) is urging factory owners in the Indian garment hub state of Karnataka to honour a hike in the minimum wage which has gone unpaid since April 2020.
More than 400,000 garment workers who make clothes for global companies, including Puma, Nike, Zara, Tesco, C&A, Gap, Marks & Spencer and H&M, has lost out on nearly US$58 million so far, according to workers' rights campaigners.
Steve Lamar, president and CEO of the AAFA, which represents US brands and retailers, has now written to the Clothing Manufacturers Association of India (CMAI) president Rajesh Masand urging factory owners to pay up.
