The majority of non-agricultural workers in most regions of the developing world work in the informal economy. When agriculture is added to that, the percentages are even higher. Importantly, in many countries, a higher percentage of women workers than men are engaged in the informal economy.
Yet despite their numbers, the contributions of informal workers to cities, communities, and the economy as a whole are not well recognized.
Organizing gives the poorest segments of the working class – those working in the informal economy, especially women – a way to be heard by the decision makers who can affect their lives.
Informal workers are coming together to amplify their visibility, voice and power, and local organizations are uniting into federations and networks nationally, regionally and globally.
CLICK LINK TO ACCESS VIDEO: http://wiego.org/organizing/video-organizing-change-workers-informal-economy
Read more about the examples from Ghana, India and Thailand featured in the video.
Related Resources:
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Read Working Paper No. 1: The Informal Economy: Definitions, Theories and Policies.
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Read Working Paper No. 2: Statistics on the Informal Economy: Definitions, Regional Estimates & Challenges.
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Check out WIEGO’s Statistical Briefs for more details on informal employment and the informal economy.
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Read Organizing Briefs containing information on organizing strategies and practices in the informal economy.
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Access WIEGO Organization and Representation Database (WORD) database with over 800 entries providing detailed information on organizations of informal workers around the globe.
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Read Informal Workers Organize for Change: The International Labour Conference 2015: A Q&A with Chris Bonner WIEGO’s Former Director of the Organization and Representation Programme.
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Check out the Informal Economy Monitoring Study (IEMS), a 10-city study examining how informal livelihoods are changing, how informal workers respond, and what institutions help or hinder their lives.
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Read stories about informal workers in the Workers’ Lives series.
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Access Workers’ Resources and Capacity Building materials, including six booklets on organizing in the informal economy.
WIEGO – Women in Informal Employment: Globalizing & Organizing
http://wiego.org/organizing/video-organizing-change-workers-informal-economy
Извор: WUNRN – 17.08.2016