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REPORT ON THE INTERNATIONAL CONFERENCE ON ORGANISING IN THE INFORMAL ECONOMY: “COMBINING OUR EFFORTS”

Ahmedabad, India, from 3 – 6 December 2003

The conference was hosted by the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in Ahmedabad, India, and organised by an international organising committee comprising the following organisations:

• HomeNet Thailand – represented by Rakawin Lee

• Nigeria Labour Congress – represented by Linus Ukamba

• SEWA India – represented by Renana Jhabvala, Manali Shah and Namrata Bali

• Trades Union Congress (TUC) of Ghana – represented by Kofu Asamoah  

Day one: 3 December 2003

1.Opening

Guests were  welcomed by the General Secretary of SEWU, Namrata Bali, who welcomed the 140 guests and conference participants on behalf of 700 000 members of SEWA. She referred to the difficulty in organising workers in the informal economy: “Organising is the key word and SEWA has learnt that struggle and development both help in doing it. The joint strategy of unions and co-operatives with an integrated approach can bring a difference in the life of the poor.”  She went on  to describe the purpose of the conference as follows: “We have come together to share, develop strategies, identify existing and new partnerships and the process of representation at international forums such as the ILO – but what is most important is to see how together we can take the informal economy into the mainstream of the workers’ movement.”

ELA BHATT

Ela R Bhatt, the founder of SEWA, opened the conference.  She sketched the history of the manner in which the demise of the textile industry in Ahmedabad had given birth to SEWA.  Referring to the growing informal economy and the poor conditions under which most of the informal workforce around the world are working, she said “We are not going to keep on crying over our past conditions.  We have begun to become visible, we are getting organised – that is what it is natural for workers to do.  And that is why we are here meeting to strengthen ourselves holding each other’s hands ….. This is a historical event, maybe for the first time the informal workers’ organisations, and the national unions with deep concern for the vast number of workers who are left out of the labour movement – both are meeting to strengthen each other. This is the call of the time.  This is the future.”

DAN GALLIN

A televised address by Dan Gallin, Director of the Global Labour Institute and former General Secretary of IUF (International Federation of Food, Agriculture and Allied Workers) was presented, in which he stated that “for the foreseeable future we can expect more deregulation and a further growth of the informal economy. The issue is therefore not “formalizing” the “informal” but protecting the unprotected.”

“For all these reasons, organizing the workers in the informal economy everywhere is now a crucial issue for the labour movement.  Without a serious and sustained effort on this issue, it is impossible today to even think of organizing a majority of workers on a global scale – and unless we do that we cannot change the existing global power relationships to our advantage.  This is a gigantic task and none of us can do it by ourselves.  We must do it together and that requires political skills and the creation of alliances.  In the first place between the traditional trade union movement and the unions informal workers have organized by and for themselves.  That is what you are about to do in this conference.”

HERMAN VAN DER LAAN

Mr Van Der Laan, ILO sub-regional director for South Asia, described how liberalization and globalization has accelerated informalisation of labour market. Therefore the ILO international labour conference addressed this subject in 2002. The Conference shifted the term “informal sector” to “informal economy” to refer to all units in the informal economy which are outside the reach of the law, or the law is not applied to them, or the law is burdensome.

The 2002 conference endorsed decent work – and identified gaps to achieving decent work in the informal economy. Workers lack rights and social protection and are excluded from social dialogue and policy-making. ILO studies show that informal economy workers want to organize where the state is unable to attend their needs.

Mr Van Der Laan stressed the need for an integrated approach to organising that addresses representation, social dialogue and voice. Upgrading working conditions of workers in informal economy cannot happen without their participation. Therefore they need to be organised in order to overcome restrictions on their freedom of association and address the wide representational gap which exists today.

MESSAGES OF SUPPORT

Pat Horn, International Co-ordinator of StreetNet International, read out messages of support for the conference which had been received from the following:

            - John Monks, General Secretary, European Trade Union Confederation

            - Elsa Ramos, Director, Equality and Youth, ICFTU

            - Kitty Roozemond, Vice-President, FNV Netherlands

   - Juan Somavia, Director-General, International Labour Office

   - John J. Sweeney, President, AFL-CIO United States

Day 2: 4 December 2003

2. Introductions and Presentations by Organisations

After initial introductions by the 55 participants to each other, the whole of this day was devoted to the visual presentation by different organisations of the work they are doing. The information presented is summarised as follows:

1. AFL-CIO (USA)

•      Voluntary federation of 64 labor unions representing 13 million workers

•      Launched the American Center for International Labour Solidarity to tackle challenges workers face in global economy

•      Aim to provide better protection for under-regulated workers, and raise rights and   standards of regulated workers, in order to create a social movement for economic rights

•      Four approaches used:

- bring contingent workers under basic labour laws

- make laws more effective in raising the standard of living and reducing inequality

- labor law reform

- change public debate about work and work standards, and make fights over the organisation of workers a fight for the whole community to raise standards.

2. CROC (Confederacion Revolucionaria de Obreros y Campesinos)

•     Transformed itself in 1979 to adapt to new conditions of the social & economic reality of the country

•      Formed the Federacion Nacional de Organizaciones de Trabajadores No Asalariados (FNOTNA) autonomous workers’ union in 1982

•      Strategy is to organise by building network of workers organisations in unstructured sectors to facilitate economic services and productive projects

•      External programme establishes links with international organisations for recognition and protection of workers in the informal economy

•      Internal programme includes the following:

- organisational strategies

- capacity-building and co-ordination between organisations

- establishment of co-operatives

- education and training

- struggles for representation

•      Permanent programme seeks to maintain services for its members to achieve better working and living conditions.

3. GEFONT (Nepal)

•      Fought for 1997 amendment to Trade Union Act to provide trade union rights even to self-employed workers

•      Formed Garbage Cleaners Federation, affiliated to ICEM; CUPPEC construction sector federation, affiliated to IFBWW; and Street Vendors Union, about to affiliate to StreetNet

•      Organisational strategies:

- study circles

- minimum wage implementation campaign

- workers education programme through GEFONT Education Dept.

- micro-cooperative self-help groups

- social security campaign

- mobile health camps and counselling activities

- special programme for development of women’s leadership

•     Collective bargaining strategies:

- registration of all informal workers in Village Development Committees and Municipalities

- demand right to settle local disputes through tripartite structures

- direct national bargaining with employers’ commodity associations

- pressure on government departments, and also direct interaction

4. Hong Kong Domestic Workers Union

- fighting labour law amendment to revise part-time work hours

- fight for minumum wage

- reduce transport expenses

- demand insurance from employers

- demand old-age pensions from government

- co-operative employment-creation programme

- joint programme with migrant workers  

5. KKPKP (Kagad Kach Patra Kastakari Panchayat) association of scrap collectors (India)

•     5000 members, who are scrap collectors which consists of (a) waste pickers (paper, plastic, rags) and (b) Iternary buyers

•      Most of the waste pickers are women from low classes mainly single women from undeveloped area of state

•     10 year-old organisation, based in Pune, Maharashtra (India)

•      Members face constant harassment – demanded endorsement of I-card from municipal corporation. Card reduced police harassment. Pune Municipal corporation is the first local authority to endorse I-cards

•      To ensure conditions of work improve by not making it an   undesirable occupation

•     The children are entitled to benefits under a central government of India scheme for children of low-caste occupation

•      Strong stand against child labour (which was prevalent in this occupation) 

•      Children are compulsorily enrolled in school

•     Municipal corporation pays for the medical insurance and the worker pays for the life insurance

6. NASVI (National Alliance for Street Vendors of India)

•     Initiated by SEWA in September 1998, based in Patna

•     Combine efforts to bring policy level changes

•     Platform/voice of street vendors at national level

•     Brings together street vendor organisations – 400 organisations are affiliated

•     Capacity building of the organisations

•     Collecting and disseminating information about laws and policies

•     Policy dialogues and advocacy

•     Supports local struggles

•     Constituted a Task Force for national policy which includes representative from police, corporation, street vendors, retired judge etc. A draft national policy has been formulated

•      Publish a newsletter ‘Footpath ki Aawaz’

7. NFSVK (National Federation of Street Vendors of Korea)

•      National organisation of street vendors, with 4000 paid-up members, affiliated to StreetNet International

•      NFSVK has 40 regional structures (RFSVKs)

•      Street vendors started to organise after 1988 crack-down by Korean government on street vendors during Olympic Games

•      Because street vending is illegal in terms of Korean law, the organisation mainly engages in highly-disciplined protest actions against the government and municipal authorities to protect their members against harassment and eviction

8. Nigeria Labour Congress (NLC)

•      National center with 29 affiliated trade unions

•      Works with the following types of informal workers:

- National Automobile Technicians’ Association (NATA) mechanics

- market vendors’ associations

- spare-part vendors

- cattle-rearers

- hairdressers

- GSM (cell-phone) operators

- Okada (motor-bike taxi) drivers

•   Organising strategies:

- negotiations

- rallies to organise workers

- workshops for worker education

9. OTM (Organisacao Trabalhadores de Mocambique)

•     National center with aim of improving the working conditions and life of workers in all economic sectors and social activities

•     Took decision to form an association of workers and operators in the informal sector after a seminar on the informal economy in November 1998

•      Created ASSOTSI (see below) at a Consultative Conference in April 1999

•      Continues to assist ASSOTSI with financial management and administration

•      Assists ASSOTSI with its organising strategy:

- membership recruitment campaigns

- fundraising for its functioning

- training leaders and cadres through courses, seminars and study circles

•      Assists ASSOTSI with collective bargaining and collective agreements

10. ASSOTSI (Associacao dos Operadores e Trabalhadores do Sector Informal) Mocambique

•      Association at this stage of market vendors from 20 of 36 markets in the capital city of Maputo

•      Alliances with SINTIQUIGRA (chemical, paper, rubber and graphic workers’ union) and SINTIA (sugar industry workers union) of OTM

•      Affiliated to StreetNet International

•      Has had exchange visits with SEWU (Self-Employed Women’s Union) South Africa and ZANAMA (Zambia National Marketeers Association)

•      Plans to expand and become a national organisation  

11. PATAMABA, Philippines

•     Started in 1989 as Pambansang Tagapag-ugnay ng mga Manggagawa sa Bahay national network of homeworkers

•     In May 2003 re-named itself to Pambansang Kalipunan ng nga Manggagawang Impormal sa Pilipinas national network of informal workers, as its membership now includes homeworkers, vendors, small transport operators, construction workers and youth workers

•     Also changed from being a women’s organisation to including both women and men in the informal economy

•     Represents informal workers in the National Anti-Poverty Commission

•     Promotes access to productive resources and social security

•     Human development services:

- skills training and upgrading (production-related)

- gender awareness, health & reproductive rights

- computer literacy

- organic farming & food-processing

- workers & working children’s legal rights

- participatory research, fieldwork, data-collection

- facilitation & linkages

•   Socio-economic assistance:

- common market (showroom)

- credit facility programme & micro-finance

- enterprise development

- marketing of home-based products

12. Thai Workers Solidarity Committee

•      New mechanism to form umbrella organisation, with over 9 national centres.

•      Collection of TU+NGOs+TUCs+group of workers, comprising workers from all the sectors

•      Organising in the Informal sector is the new field for the TUs in Thailand

•      Trying to improve the condition of work and quality of life for the informal workers. Main demands:

1.  Health and Safety Institution

- Labour Relation Act

- Social Security (unemployment benefit – hopefully from 2005)

2.  Workers Rights

- Include informal sector

- Workers minimum wage

- Include migrant workers

3.  Aids & Workers:  Child Care

4.  ILO convention – 87, 98, 177

5.  Constitutional rights

13. Trades Union Congress (TUC) of Ghana

•      Affiliation of 17 Unions out of which 12 are National Unions

•     Traditionally in the formal sector

•      Names of the unions: ICU, GANU, CAMWU, PSWU, PUWU, LGWU, MDU, HSWU,REU, RWU,CWU, NUS, GPCWU, GPRTU, TWU, IEWU, MIMIS

•      These TU are also working in the informal sector

•     TUC co-ordinates all the activities of National Unions in the informal sector through  an informal Sector Desk located in the Organising Department

•     Their activities: developing programme, link up with National Unions, and organise workshops

14. CBMWU (Construction & Building Materials Workers Union of Ghana)