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PRINCIPAL RESOLUTION OF THE AHMEDABAD CONFERENCE
ON ORGANISING IN THE INFORMAL ECONOMY

1. PRINCIPAL RESOLUTION 

Further to the General Discussion on “Decent Work and the Informal Economy” at the International Labour Conference 2002, an international conference on “Organising in the Informal Economy” was convened jointly by SEWA, StreetNet International, Trades Union Congress of Ghana, Nigerian Labour Congress and HomeNet Thailand in Ahmedabad, India, from 3 – 6 December 2003. Forty-seven organisations from 23 countries participated in the Conference. 

The Ahmedabad Conference noted that: 

  •   Majority of the workforce in developing countries and increasing number of workers in developed countries are in the informal economy. Workers in the informal economy are insecure and unprotected and generally poor.  In the current era of liberalisation, formal industries are retrenching and the informal economy is growing fast, while conditions of workers are worsening. Women form a large part of the informal economy and are amongst the poorest and most discriminated-against workers.

  •   Most people enter the informal economy because of a need to survive, not out of choice. Workers in the informal economy include both wage workers and own-account workers. Most own-account workers are as insecure and vulnerable as wage workers and move from one situation to the other.  Because they lack protection, rights and representation, these workers often remain trapped in poverty.

  •    Informal workers are a major contributor to the National Economy and, yet, are not recognised or protected under labour legislation and social protection. The lack of social protection is a critical aspect of the social exclusion of workers in the informal economy.

The Ahmedabad Conference noted that the International Labour Conference in 2002 had passed a Resolution on “Decent Work and the Informal Economy”. In line with the Conclusions of that Resolution, the Ahmedabad Conference felt that all workers should enjoy full worker rights, in particular the right to organise: ie the right to form or join local, national or international organisations of their own choice, so as to give them the possibility of improving their living and working conditions.

The Ahmedabad Conference focused on the following five major themes and developed a set of conclusions and recommendations for each, as follows:

1)  Organisational Sustainability and Capacity Building: Many organisations of informal workers are new and small and, therefore, require significant capacity building in order to become organisationally sustainable. To build and strengthen sustainable organisations, we recommend:

  •   Organisational structures that are democratic, transparent, and member-based.

  •   Capacity-building of various types, including: organising, leadership, technical and managerial skills.

  •    Stable funding, preferably from members’ dues, payment for services, savings and credit, production and marketing or other innovative financing methods.

  •    Participation and representation of informal workers in policy formulation and implementation.

2)  Labour Laws: Labour legislation in many countries has not been reviewed for some time, remains fragmented, and does not cover informal workers. More fundamentally, labour legislation in most countries is premised on an employer-employee relationship and, as such, does not encompass the full range of employment relationships. To address these weaknesses in the law, we recommend:

  •   Review of existing labour laws involving all social partners, including organisations of informal workers, with a view to harmonising laws and to extending laws to cover as many employment relationships as possible.

  •   Development by organisations of informal workers of a common position – and model  laws – of what core legal provisions and protections they would like to see in labour  laws.

  •   Documentation of innovative laws that have been introduced to cover various  categories of informal workers.

  •   Documentation of how organisations of informal workers have used law to protect their membership.

  •   Documentation of how employers have used loop-holes in the law to casualise or informalise employment relationships.

3)  Collective Bargaining: Not many statutory bargaining forums exist for workers in the informal economy. Therefore organisations have to create them – in the short-term they have to pressurise authorities to negotiate with them in ad hoc bargaining arrangements. However, the urgent need is to create statutory bargaining structures. Therefore, we recommend:

  •   Documentation of existing collective bargaining structures, both statutory and ad hoc, for informal workers.

  •   Creation of collective bargaining forums, such as tripartite and multi-partite Boards.

  •   Reform of existing laws as needed with involvement of Trade Unions and informal workers’ organisations.

  •   Development of strong organisations of informal workers to create pressure for collective bargaining.

4)  Social Protection: Most informal workers remain unprotected and do not have access to affordable, appropriate and timely social security services. Unions and other membership-based organisations are deeply committed to ensuring that informal workers obtain social protection, as a basic right and entitlement. Based on our experiences, we recommend:

  •   Linking and partnering with the state as the main promoter of social protection.

  •   Organising informal workers for social protection through their own workers’ organizations in a sustainable manner, based on worker, state, employer and/or other contributions.

  •   Promoting insurance as a necessary service and as a way to organise informal workers.

  •   Building alliances with and between unions, co-operatives, other membership-based organisations, and NGOs for pro-worker social protection policies, regulations, legislation and programmes.

5)  Employment Creation and Skills Development: Employment and employment opportunities are diminishing due to processes that include restructuring of industries and the economy, rapid changes in technology, as well as natural and social disasters. Further, working people, especially women, do not have ease of access to skill development possibilities due to social and resource constraints. Consequently we recommend:

  •   Greater access to workers in the informal economy, especially women, to opportunities to diversify and enhance their skills.

  •   Setting up of Vocational Training Institutes and programmes by unions and government to enable workers of the informal economy to diversify and enhance their skill levels.

  •   Regular consultations between organisations of workers in the informal economy to share best practices within countries as well as at the regional and international level.

  •   Greater access to resources for workers in the informal economy to set up their own livelihood possibilities through co-operatives and other structures.

  •   Support to institutes and processes like global and regional Global Trading Networks for employment creation and market access.

  •    Development of a clear policy at national and international levels regarding employment creation and skills development for workers in the informal economy.

 The Ahmedabad Conference further calls upon: 

  •   Governments to provide conducive macroeconomic, social, legal and political frameworks for the large-scale creation of sustainable, decent work; to place decent employment at the center of economic and social development policies; for poverty alleviation and to extend protective legislation and social protection to all workers independent of their status.

  •   Multilateral organisations to place informal workers at the center of their policies and programmes as a means to eradicate poverty.

  •   Trade unions to intensify organising in the informal economy and adapt their structures or create new structures taking holistic view of each industry bringing together the formal and informal workers to encourage participation and representation of informal workers, in particular women, to accommodate their specific needs. And to provide services including education, legal aid, provision of medical insurance, credit and loan facilities and establishment of co-operatives in addition to the primary responsibility of collective bargaining.

The conference resolved that the process started in Ahmedabad needs to be taken forward:

  •   to continue to hold such conferences in coming years;

  •   to ensure the increased discussion of issues and representation of workers in the informal economy at the International Labour Conference;

  •   to bring together and hold international meetings on industry-specific groups of informal workers in collaboration with Global Unions and National Trade Union Centres. Agricultural workers need special attention in this regard;

  •   to strengthen and consolidate the organisation of workers in vulnerable sectors such as waste-collecting, domestic workers, etc.

  •   to document and disseminate the experiences of organising the informal workers and to continue to exchange experiences;

  •   to build linkages by exchange visits, exposure tours and other means;

  •   to strengthen alliances with other organisations working for informal economy;

  •   to launch campaigns on the basis of this resolution;

  •   to set up regional committees;

  •   to raise financial resources to take forward the adopted plan of action.

The conference asks the present International Organising Committee to continue to act as the co-ordinating committee to take forward the plan of action adopted here, and to include representation from the Americas and Europe.

B. RESOLUTION ON MIGRANT WORKERS

In recent years the world has witnessed an accelerated rate of migration of labour from developing regions to industrially developed regions. Many migrant workers are working in the informal economy. Migration has resulted in social tension developing in many parts of the globe and migrant workers have to endure many types of violence and discrimination.

The International Conference on Organising Workers in the Informal Economy held in Ahmedabad, India, noting that the free movement of capital is taking place in the ongoing process of Globalisation, that labour is being prevented by stiff emigration rules and policies in different countries. In order to end discrimination of workers, the globalisation of the labour market should complement the present phase of globalisation. This Conference calls for an end to all forms of discrimination against migrant workers in the present phase of globalisation.

Conference participants appeal to their governments to ratify and implement the ILO Convention on Migrant Labour to ensure human rights of migrant workers, and to take measures to implement the ILO Conclusions on Decent Work and the Informal Economy.  This Conference further calls on the ILO and its member states to support the review process of the ILO Convention.

c. RESOLUTION ON THE SITUATION IN ZIMBABWE AND NIGERIA 

The International conference on organizing the informal economy held in Ahmedabad, India, from 3 – 6 December 2003 observed with dismay and sadness the growing anti-labour practices by the Governments of Zimbabwe and Nigeria contrary to universally accepted norms on the fundamental human rights and freedoms.

1. Zimbabwe

Participants noted with great concern that government authorities have abandoned any democratic practices in labour administration and that intimidation and threats of workers and trade union leaders are the order of the day, to the extent that they operate under fear. 

2. Nigeria

The participants noted with disappointment the on-going efforts of the government to weaken the Nigeria Labour Congress – including removing the automatic check-off system through a bill now before the national assembly. 

The participants therefore call upon the two governments to operate in accordance with the principles of democratic dispensation, and further call upon the international community to exert pressure on the two governments to respect the forms and practices required by the universally respected principles of civilization. 

The participants are of the strong view that this ultimately enables workers and trade unions to operate under normal and acceptable environment and conditions in accordance with ILO core conventions.

D. RESOLUTION OF CONDOLENCE

The Trade Union movement has suffered a big loss with the sudden passing away of Brother Luis Anderson on 15th November 2003 in his office while he was finalising his presentation for a meeting to be held two days later in Miami to discuss the battle against the effects of the North American Free Trade Agreement (NAFTA – or ALCA).

Luis Anderson, originally from Panama, distinguished himself through his efforts in favour of the workers and these last years in his capacity as the Regional Secretary of ORIT (American regional structure of the International Confederation of Free Trade unions) ICFTU, initiated regional meetings, invited the trade union centers of the Americas to work for the benefit of workers of the informal economy.

This conference presents its condolences to the trade union movement of the Americas and the world, and sends a message to ORIT and the ICFTU for the great loss – and stands a minute in silence.

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