RECAPPING
SESSION ONE - RECAPPING
Session One - Recap
• Started out with Wilma given the recap of
previous day on what we have
accomplished.
• Country’s sharing experiences re trade
Unions and Informal Economy – Doing or
Not doing
• SURINAME – Dino gave a snap shot of a
summary re-Suriname and the informal
economy
• Approximately Half of the total
employment
•The survey base on several platforms
stemming from Registered workers
53% and the 47% informal economy
•Employees and Enterprise that do comply
with national regulation.
•Chamber of Commerce keeps a tab on all
registered businesses
•More males in the informal grouping
than females (older folks – informal
60+ SW)
• JAMAICA – Thousands have shift to the
informal economy to make ends meet.
• Globalization, Structural adjustment and
privatization and our political parties
• Union can do more by applying
progressive agenda to bridge the gap
between economies
• The application of Decent work approach
has started
• Political parties changes, system, policies
and procedures changes making
continuity difficult.
• Depletion of resources quick action needed
• Inequalities, redundancies, non-formal
contracts & part time
• Organize to better articulate ideas to gov’t
• Women population large in the informal
economy
• No policy direction but Constitutional
arrangement and ILO Conventions and
Business Development Plan.
• ICI’s, SBA, TAXIS and FARMERS
• Political Parties are formed out of the trade
union – Incompatible goals
• GUYANA (Queenie)- Gave a brief history
of her country highlighting that Suriname
was her immediate neighbor.
• Facing economic crisis , poor working
conditions, insufficient pay, rural urban
migration
• IMF conditionalities propelled the driving
force behind the informal economy.
• Denial of the INF/ECON
• Formal branch of into economy in order to
make ends meet.
• Being apart of the union bring forth
disadvantages
• Little or no social security benefits
• Operations are in breach of section 87
• Contracted workers are deprived of their
rights (No maternity, no access to bank
loans etc.)
• Union – focusing on training and retooling
the informal workers people will see the
benefits of trade unions etc.
• The effectiveness was question given the
prerequisites to make ends meet
• Frustration has reached the part time workers
who have been doing this for yrs.
• Unions- more proactive, start from scratch,
lobby administration and gov’t. Part time
workers and contracted worker’s can be
unionized.
• Minibus Assoc – fueled by gas prices
• Non-existence or little are no legislation to
protect the less fortunate.
• Graduate leaves the formal sector for the Inf.
Sec. to earn more money to cover the living
needs.
• St. LUCIA (Terry) – Express strong
similarities to Guyana.
• Informal behavior Born out of the
Plantocracy ideals – Sugar workers, thus
created certain number of informal
workers.
• Roadside sellers, yard boys, food vendors
and informal contract workers no tax
contribution.
• Build Construction are sub contracted to
escape certain obligations
• Poultry farmers & Pig Farmers intervene
because egg importation – lobby gov't to
get resources.
• Exotic dancers - Laws against sex workers
but the business is on the horizon. (formal
worker’s)
• Company want to get rid of workers
because of their expression of interest in
unions
• What next - Office cleaners, Car washers,
taxi drivers etc. More so getting into hourly
paid workers businesses, supermarket etc.
• They have not officially examine the
INFN SEC.
• Sensitive the common workers to joint
trade union lobby for flexible tax
payment and for loans.
• 6 union (5 together) (1 opted to be
independently for obvious reasons)
• Visibility and Union Empowerment of
workers is weak
• BARBADOS (Sean)– Sited their
disclaimer
• Gave a brief definition re informal
economy – the absence of the regulated
and full compliances to gov't – forms the
informal economy.
• Key segments high percent of informal
activities -Transport, Agriculture, Security,
Janitorial services, sports, construction,
retail and domestic workers.
• Economy is service orientated – limited or
no exports etc.
• Explain the evolution of the bus system
into association through dialogue with
govt. organizing public transport and
appropriate routing management system.
• Instituting other journey management
system – Checks & Balance
• Fishing industry is largely informal
• Subcontracting to evade regulations and
tax payments – gov’t lack resources to run
checks
• Entertainment – entertainers double jobs
mostly tax free
• BWU Onboard with taxi association
• Firm on its decent work agenda
• Social dialogue happening in the informal
economy
• Minimum wage platform being established
• Free to join, advocate for greater access
to education and technical support etc.
• Tripartite Social partnership is
approximately 16yrs old
• TRINIDAD & TOBAGO (lois)– Gov’t
programs to pick individual who have lost
their jobs
• Sub contracting has been creating
problems (lack of checks and
transparency)
• Community enhancement program for mid
age persons
• Gov't has contributed to the expansion of
the informal economy they see it has
employment opportunities for small
businesses. It has expanded to the
highway and byways.
• Revamp of the bus system to be more
organised
• Casino closed down saw thousands of
jobs going
• Process of recognition takes yrs – realized
after the fact. Immediate obstacle for
representation.
• Pushing decent work agenda to achieve
member of 100%
• Gov't – Bus program, Trading with youths,
• Gov’t-Social project
• Firm up of Agro Associations given the
economic crisis
• Market and Street vendors Association
• Sex trade rampant
• Given their uniqueness of union
arrangements 51% flip side union know
the bargaining unit before hand, hence,
51% remain questionable and
representation remain inconclusive until
the data is made available. (Win / lose out)
Session Two
• Claude expand on HOW: With a quick
review on..
• ILO Mandate – Decent Work for All…
• ILS, Employment, Social Protection
/Dialogue
• Definition : in law or in practice, not
covered or insufficiently covered by
formal arrangements
• HOW – ORGANISE & POLICIES
• Reaching out to the informal actors
through the medium of organisation.
• Policies variables must be
fundamental about RIGTHS for ALL
• Lobby, advocacy, fighting. never give
up organize
• Share example of what others are
doing
• Policy – Rights for ALL, growth,
employment, poverty reduction, social
protection and dialogue with
governance structure, regulation and
Labour inspection.
• Creating jobs is vital , not any kind of
jobs but DECENT jobs.
• Reference: Labour inspection are key,
Philippines 200
• Reference: Convention 87 Article 2 –
RIGHTS of ALL
• Integrated Approach : Reference made to
HIGH GDP & MEDIUM GDP may drive
High, moderate and / or low poverty
reduction.
• Policy Myths under social protection – loss
in GDP due to equity efficiency trade-off
• Financial non-affordability myth and that
indeed developing countries afford a basic
SP package
• Cost benefit analysis for Senegal and
Tanzania was referenced re estimated
effect of cash transfer on reduction of
poverty.
• The five principles of social security was
suggested
• Which ensued a discussion on why we
must organised
• When gov't say they have grow 3% is it
Labour intensive or job less growth –
We question gov’t
• The Issue of FEAR sited as the biggest
to organize and potential members
• The organizing strategies that could be
employed – asking the right questions
• Organizing models: The grey areasinsufficiently covered by the formal
sector
• A discussion ensued over the SEWA
Model in India
Lessons learnt
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Activities and Services driven
Rights-based approach
Holistic solutions
Cultural diversity
Mainstreaming informal economy
Entry points like cooperatives, micro fin.
Dynamic unions in the informal
economy