One
of SEWA’s oldest campaigns has been for the rights of millions
of home-based workers for both piecerate and own account workers.
More than two decades of organising and running a national and
international campaign reached its peak at the international Labour
Organisation (ILO) in 1996. A historic victory for home –
based workers world – wide was won when the ILO voted for
a Convention to address the needs and priorities of home –
based workers everywhere, according them full rights as workers.
SEWA collaborated with unions in many countries, and networks
of home – based workers organisations like Homenet in the
campaign process.
Today
SEWA along with Homenet is spearheading both a national and an
international campaign for the ratification of the ILO Convention
and its translation into concrete implementation so that home-based
workers can truly enjoy the rights enshrined in the Convention.
Efforts are underway involving active collaboration with international
labour federations and unions like the ‘IUF, ITGLWF and ICFTU,
to obtain ratification, legislation and policies for home-based
workers everywhere.
The
campaign has been strengthened by the formation of a new organisation,
Women in informal Employment Globalising and Organising (WIEGO)
formed in 1997. SEWA is a founder member of WIEGO along with the
Harvard institute of international Development (HIID) and UNIFFM.
WIEGO is committed to the struggles of all informal sector workers
and experienced researchers and statisticians committed to the
poor, NGOs and labour organisers are working together as a team
towards this end.
This
year Finland and lreland ratified the ILO Convention on home based
workers. Other European countries like the U.K. have begun to
explore minimum wages and other rights for home – based workers.
In india, the government
has organised several meetings to develop a policy for home-based
workers at SEWA’s behest. They are especially looking into
the provision of identity cards and organising social security
for home-based workers – part of our members’ long-
standing demands. Within the campaign, our urban organisers and
union leaders or ‘agewans’ have been organising small
meetings and training aimed at educating home – based workers
about their rights.
Note:
- IUF – International
Union of Food, Agriculture, Hotal, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco
and Allied Workers
- ITGLWF –
international Textile, Garment and Leather Workers’ Federation
- ICFTU –
I nternational Confederation of Free Trade Unions
SEWA is affiliated to all three.
