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Voice, Visibility and Validation Organizing home based women workers

Voice, Visibility and Validation Organizing home based women workers. Informal workers consist of 93% of the workforce 50% of the Gross Domestic Product 39% of the Exports of the country. Statistics of the Informal Sector. Central Trade Union-1972

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Voice, Visibility and Validation Organizing home based women workers

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  1. Voice, Visibility and Validation Organizing home based women workers SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

  2. Informal workers consist of 93% of the workforce 50% of the Gross Domestic Product 39% of the Exports of the country. Statistics of the Informal Sector SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

  3. Central Trade Union-1972 Organizes women in the informal economy for full employment and Self reliance Total Membership base over 1.7 million women workers Membership of 4,58,420 women home based workers in India About SEWA SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

  4. Characteristics of the home based trades • 35 million homebased workers in India, over 50 million in South Asia • two types of the home based workers- own account (self employed) and piece rated (work for contractors or employer • Predominantly women • women workers are not aware of their identity as workers and so get left out of statistics and policies. • Homes of these workers are their work place • High rate of child labour SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

  5. The Value Chain • Home based workers poorest and most vulnerable end of a value chain. • Often value chain is international with big brands at one end and poor women workers in villages at the other • Long chain of contracts and contractors SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA) SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

  6. Segmentation of informal employment in home based trades: SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

  7. Lack of Visibility and Recognition No statistical information No Protection under law Lack of access to markets and market information Lack of Employer-employee relations: Low Wages Poor Working Conditions Health Hazards Lack of SocialSecurity Issues of Home based Workers SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

  8. Organizing….. SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA) SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

  9. Need Based Approach Integrated Approach Campaign Approach Decentralized Approach Door to Door Contact Formation of Co-operatives Linking with Social Security including housing Awareness of identity as worker Organizing Strategies SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

  10. Short term Campaigns Similar wages in all areas Wage increase Bonus Welfare board for social security Stop undue deduction in wages on the pretext of badly finished goods Long term Campaigns Voice, Visibility and Validation Ratification of ILO Convention 177 National Policy and social security Inclusion of home based trades in the Minimum wages Act Collective Bargaining Campaigns for Home based workers SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

  11. Co-ops, Identity and Social Sec. • More than 25 Co-ops. • Marketing company • Women’s Bank • Skill training • Identity cards for all workers • Insurance for all workers • Linking with Government health care • Upgrading housing • Child care SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA) SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

  12. Some of the Collective Bargaining • 15000 Bidi rollers got a wage increase of Rs 12/- i.e the wages increased for Rs 80/- to Rs 92/- i.e 17% increase in wages amounting to 2,80,80,000/- (USD 4,45,714/-) • 15000 incense stick rollers got wage increase of Rs 5 per day amounting to Rs. 1,17,00,000/- (USD 1,85,714/-) • 8000 Readymade garment Stitchers got wage increase of Rs 5 per day amounting to Rs 6,24,000/- (USD 9904/-) • 1000 beedi workers go bonus worth Rs 1,00,000 (USD 1587/-) • 2000 Ready made garment got bonus worth Rs 4,00,000 (USD 6349/-) SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

  13. Efforts of SEWA for ILO convention 177 • Actively involved at International level for the ILO convention 177 in 1996. • Lobbied for ratification of convention in India and for the “National Policy for the Home based workers”. • Led Kathmandu Declaration for homebased workers in South Asia in 2000 • Organized Convention of the Home Based workers 2004, addressed by Prime Minister • Active in Committee of Government for statistics on home based workers. Government of India not yet ratified convention 177 SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

  14. Recommendations • Take up campaign for ratification of Convention 177. Work with member Unions to pressurize Governments in each country. • Encourage members of ITUC to facilitate the formation of associations, unions, co-operatives, member based organization of home-based workers by training, awareness and exposures, • Work for Research, Studies and Documentation to high light the plight of the home based workers. • Work with Governments to collect data on homebased workers. SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

  15. Recommendations • Advocate for Recognition of the home-based as sub-contracted workers in an employment relationship • Recognize that the homes of home-based workers are their workplaces and advocate for schemes which upgrade their houses, grant them de facto tenure and basic infrastructure services • Advocate to include homebased workers in social security schemes and programs SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

  16. Together we will win…… Thank you SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

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