This year the 113th ILC discussed formalization of the informal economy; discussion on the informal economy was first formally held in 2002, then in 2015 and even before that in 1996, the first convention for informal workers…homeworkers Convention 177…was passed. Much of the importance that is now given to informal economy is due to Dan Gallin. 

Dan Gallin, an activist, a leader and a socialist intellectual of the international labor movement passed away on May 31, 2025. He served as the General Secretary of the International Union of Food, Agricultural, Hotel, Restaurant, Catering, Tobacco and Allied Workers’ Associations from 1968-1997. His commitment to the movement of the informal economy workers supported SEWA to get voice, visibility and validation for these workers at international level.

Since its inception, SEWA has been organizing informal workers (although we called them self-employed) and fighting for their rights. Our founder Elaben very soon realized the importance of being part of the international labour movement but internationally everyone was against the informal workers…they said they should be abolished, they said they are not really workers as they have no employer. Then Elaben met Dan in Geneva and explained how many workers there are, how vulnerable with no voice, and Dan immediately understood that all these homebased workers, vendors, agricultural workers etc may not have employer but they are workers, he understood the importance of organizing. He invited us to join IUF and so we were able to enter the international labour movement. 

It was Dan and the IUF who supported us fully for the Homeworkers Convention. He guided us and steered us through the ICFTU, using all his good will with European unions to support the resolution. He guided us in the ILC and told us to keep fighting when we felt everything was lost. And because of his and IUF support we won the convention. 

We feel proud that 2nd November is being proposed as informal workers day with the support of IUF, and that organizing informal workers is an important task being taken up by Tus around the world. This would not have happened without Dan, his love for workers and his full support for organizing and especially his fighting spirit. On behalf of SEWA’s 3.2 million workers we thank you Dan, we will never forget you