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

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

3. SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)
About SEWA
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
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. Issues of Home based Workers
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 Social Security
SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

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

9. Organizing Strategies
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
SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)

10. Collective Bargaining Campaigns for Home based workers
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
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/-)
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. SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)
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. SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)
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. SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)
Together we will win……
Thank you
SELF EMPLOYED WOMEN'S ASSOCIATION (SEWA)