Promoting Elaben’s values and actions: International Day for Women in the Informal Economy 2024

In honour of Sister Ela R. Bhatt (Elaben), the founder of the Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) in India, the 28th IUF Congress passed a resolution on Achieving voice, visibility, validation of women workers, through which IUF and it’s affiliates committed to promote Elaben’s lifelong commitment to economic and social justice for women workers and their collective empowerment and recognized November 2 as a day of education, awareness, organizing and empowerment of women in the informal economy.

In November, IUF affiliates across the Asia-Pacific region celebrated the legacy of Elaben, honoring her strong belief in and commitment to developing effective women’s leadership, providing opportunities for women to lead, and collective union strength through organizing to mark International Day for Women in the Informal Economy.

The newly formed FSPM’s General Tourism Workers’ Union in Indonesia, comprising individual members from the food services and hotel and tourism industry, including small food vendors and tour guides. The meeting was attended by members from the Yogyakarta and Semarang regions. Among the participants were tour guides who, for the first time, had an organization to collectively represent them through the general union.

The meeting focused on advocating for workers’ rights in the informal economy, organizing more workers, especially in the tourism sector, and pushing for social security and government policies to protect workers’ health and safety while improving their lives and livelihoods. Additionally, the meeting emphasized the importance of developing effective leadership to build collective strength in the fight for members’ rights.

The Federation of Hotel, Restaurant, Plaza, Apartment, Catering, and Tourism Workers’ Free Union (FSPM) organized an online meeting with the national secretariat. During the meeting, they appreciated and learned from SEWA’s struggle to establish itself as a trade union for women workers in the informal economy, highlighting Elaben’s commitment for collective representation and collective power and leading a way for other unions to organize in the informal economy.

In Bangladesh, the National Women Farmers & Workers Association (NWFA) organized a leadership training in Nagarkanda, Faridpur. The training focused on building the collective strength of women small and marginal farmers, taking action to secure their rights, and improving working conditions. NWFA has also formed cooperatives of women farmers to negotiate better prices and provide trainings to improve livelihoods of their members. The training focused on developing grassroots level leadership skills to take on leadership roles and advocate for policy changes that address their rights and needs, enabling them to actively participate in decision-making processes that affect their work and communities.

In Pakistan, the newly formed IUF – Pakistan Coordination Council [IUF-PCC] organized a meeting with members in the informal economy including agricultural workers, sharecroppers and domestic workers. During the meeting women workers discussed the challenges that they face, sustainable livelihood opportunities and much needed government protections. They highlighted the struggles and solutions in the media to raise awareness with the public and proposed solutions.

In India the Women’s Water, Sanitation and Health Committees, organization of tea workers and Godavari Magasvargiya Mtsya Vyavsay Sahakari Sanstha, union of women fisherfolks discussed the teachings of Elaben and focused on securing work, income, food, and social security like health care, child care, insurance, pension and shelter and the need for women in decision making.

Trade unions in the formal sector also joined in honoring Elaben and in solidarity with women in the informal economy and used November 2 to raise awareness among union members in formal sector unions and policy intervention at national level in support of demands by informal economy workers unions (recognition, social protection) and secure jobs for women in the formal sector.

FSBMM, National Federation of Food and Beverage Workers in Indonesia organized a meeting to raise awareness of FSBMM members by sharing Elaben’s vision and values, history of SEWA and to use their union power to stand in solidarity with women in the informal economy. The members also discussed the importance of secure jobs for women workers and built strategies to fight against the contractual work system in particular at Indolakto where the majority of contract workers are women.

The IUF Food & Beverages Workers Council – Bangladesh organized a meeting which agreed on more education to build understanding among union members in the formal sector about the need for national policy interventions that address the demands of informal workers highlighting specific issues, such as recognition of informal workers particularly women and provision of social protection that require policy action. They call for developing a joint agenda to push for legal recognition and social protection policies that directly benefit women in the informal economy.

Women leaders from DWU, PVMEU and NEU shared union actions to create space for women in union decision-making bodies and leadership structures. They agreed to use their union power to support women in the informal economy.

The IUF Asia/Pacific Regional Organization also committed to ensuring that the ideas, writings, lessons and actions of Elaben are taught to a younger generation of trade union leaders in the region. Raising awareness of Elaben’s ideas and actions were part of the IUF Asia/Pacific Regional meetings in 2024.