SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA) Organizing Women Home Based Beedi Rollers SEWA Experience

SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA) About SEWA  Central Trade Union-1972  Organizes women in the informal sector for full employment and Self reliance  Total Membership base over 1.7 million women workers – 14 States of India  Struggle and Development  Organizing and Cooperatives

Organizing Approaches  Area Approach  Trade Approach  Campaign Approach  Need Based Approach  Integrated Approach  Formation of Cooperatives/economic institutions/Specialized groups. SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

Organizing Methodology  Door –to –Door Contact  Campaigns  Area meetings  Socio- economic study  Awareness raising through various trainings- Workers Education Class, Membership Education, leadership Dev. trainings and legal trainings  Development of Cadre of leaders  Formation of trade committees –regular meetings  Trade Council  Creation of Cooperatives/ Specialized groups  Welfare Boards  Mass meetings SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

Organizing around Beedi trade ….. SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

Beedi trade  Beedi trade is the home based trade. It is pre dominant by the women  Beedi trade is the only trade in the informal sector covered by the National law  There is a Beedi Welfare Board and the workers can have access to the Beedi welfare schemes  SEWA is organizing Beedi workers since last 25 years SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

Campaign Approach  The issues that cut across all the trade taken up as campaigns.  The campaigns are decided by the leaders in the trade committee every three years  Two types of campaigns are decided- short term and long terms.  The campaigns are decided trade wise and cutting across the category.  The campaigns are taken at Local, State and National level.  The strategies are then decided around the campaigns. SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

Beedi Campaigns  Membership  Wage Increase  Bonus  Identity card  Easy and sure Access of Beedi welfare schemes  Better functioning of the Beedi welfare Board  National Policy for the Home based workers  Ratifying ILO convention on the Home based  Similar Wages in all areas SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

Impacts  Increased and strengthened the membership Gujarat-21,114 Ajmer-3,711 Bihar-4,000  In earlier days rolled Beedis were collected at midnight. The timings of Beedi collection were changed to morning.  The undue reduction of Beedis was stopped. SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

Impacts  175 Beedi workers got the provident fund of Rs. 15,00,000.  Wages were increased from Rs 2/- to Rs 92 in Ahmedabad and Rs 100/- in Ajmer gradually.  110 houses of Beedi workers were built by SEWA in participatory process with workers - Subsidy was given under the Bidi welfare Scheme.  SEWA is a member of Central Beedi Advisory committee. SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

Thank you SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)