SEWA - About Us

SEWA's Structure

SEWA is registered as a trade union under the Indian Trade Unions Act of 1926. The union is open for membership to self-employed women workers all over India. The membership fee is Rs. 5 per year. The union is governed by a two-tier level of elected representation. The members of each trade elect their representatives in the ratio of 1 representative per 100 members. These representatives then form the Trade Council (Pratinidhi Mandal). In addition, and parallel to the Trade Council are Trade Committees(Dhandha Samiti) in each trade. The Trade Committee has no fixed proportion to number of members but varies between 15 to 50 members. The Trade Committees meet every month and discuss the problems of their trades and possible solutions to them. Trade Council members are members of their respective Trade Committees as well. The organiser of a trade group is the Member Secretary of that group's Trade Committee.

Every three years the Trade Council elects an Executive Committee of 25 members. The representation on the Executive Committee reflects the proportion of the membership.

The office-bearers of the trade union are elected from among the Executive members. It has become a practice to elect the President from the trade with the largest membership.

SEWA's Membership

Self-Employed Women Workers – our Members SEWA members are workers who have no fixed employee-employer relationship and depend on their own labour for survival. They are poor, illiterate and vulnerable. They barely have any assets or working capital. But they are extremely economically active, contributing very significantly to the economy and society with their labour. In fact, 64% of GDP is accounted for by the self – employed of our country. There are Four types of self-employed women workers: 1] Hawkers, vendors and small business women like vegetable, fruit, fish, egg and other vendors of food items, household goods and clothes vendors : 2] Home-based workers like weavers, potters, bidi and agarbatti workers, papad rollers, ready-made garment workers, women who process agricultural products and artisans, and 3] Manual labourers & service providers like agricultural labourers, construction workers, contract labourers, handcart pullers, head – loaders, domestic workers      and laundry workers. In addition to these three categories there is emergence of another category of women workers. 4] Producers & Services who invest their labour and capital to carry out their businesses. This category includes Agriculture, cattle rearers , salt workers, gum collectors, cooking & vending etc.

 

2006 SEWA Membership

All India Membership	9,59,698
Gujarat Membership	4,83,012

All – India Membership year - 2006

State	Membership	Total Membership
Gujarat		4,83,012
Bihar		5,112
Munger	2,012
Bhagalpur	3,100
Delhi		6,164
Rajasthan		2,310
Bikaner	2,310
Madhya Pradesh		4,16,000
Indore	4,16,000
Uttarpradesh		45,800
Luknow	45,800
Kerala		800
Trivendrum	800
Murshidabad	500	500
Total Membership of SEWA		9,59,698

 

Gujarat Membership by Trade 2006

Main Categories of Members	No. of Women	Percentage of Total Membership
Home-based workers	69,795	14.45 %
Hawkers & vendors	53,053	10.98 %
Manual laboureres & Service providers	3,35,065	69.37 %
Producers & Services	25,099	5.20 %
Total	4,83,012	100 %

 

Gujarat Membership – Rural – Urban Disribution 2006

Main Categories of Workers	No.of Women	Percentage of Total Membership
Urban	1,89,479	39.23 %
Rural	2,93,533	60.77 %
Total	4,83,012	100  %

 

Growth of SEWA's Membership : 1973-2005 (India)

Year	No. of Members	Year	No. of Members
1973	320	1990	25,911
1974	3,130	1991	46,076
1975	3,850	1992	45,936
1976	1,630	1993	53,570
1977	1,748	1994	1,43,702
1978	730	1995	2,18,797
1979	2,041	1996	2,12,016
1980	4,934	1997	2,11,124
1981	6,087	1998	2,09,250
1982	10,733	1999	2,15,234
1983	13,386	2000	3,18,527
1984	22,739	2001	4,20,208
1985	15,741	2002	6,94,551
1986	20,811	2003	7,04,166
1987	15,144	2004	6,88,743
1988	19,554	2005	7,96,755
1989	29,133	2006	9,59,698

While the overall trend is upward, there have been periods of fluctuation over the past decade. Membership increases occurred as a result of campaigns which developed into mass movements in some rural districts, concrete gains from organising of some categories of workers like vendors and home based workers and also be cause of support during crises.

Over the years, the complexion of SEWA’s membership has changed significantly. In 2006, of SEWA’s 4,83,012 strong membership in Gujarat, 60.77% was rural and 39.23% urban. Within our four major occupational categories, the picture was as follows:

1. Hawkers & vendors	- 53,053 members	10.98%
2. Home-based workers	- 69,795 members	14.45%
3. Manual Labourerers Service Providers	- 3,35,065 members	69.37%
4. Producers & Services	- 25,099 members	5.20%

Till 1994, SEWA’s membership was predominantly urban. This was partly due to our origins and base being at Ahmedabad. However, in the late eighties, SEWA intensified its rural organising, with the resultant increase in membership from rural areas.

 

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