Training cum Workshop on Challenges of Informal Economy for Trade Unions

Organised by Democratic Confederation of Nepalese Trade Unions ( DECONT)

31 August - 01 September 2005

Manglapur, Rupandehi

Background

There is a huge mass of workers involved in the informal sectors in the country like Nepal. The major source of employment in our country is agriculture that falls under informal economy. Lack of training and quality education, many people are compelled to work in the informal sectors in order to fulfill their basic needs. Modern technology has not covered all the sectors for the smooth industrialization. Due to the subsequent effects of present conflict, industrial sectors are contracting day by day 94 percent of labour forces are engaged in the informal economy. They don't want to pay proper wages, proper leave, medical facilities, and other things to the workers so, the employers are eager to convert formal workers into informal one. Not only this, skilled manpower outside the country are placed instead of the native manpower. This trend ultimately creates the burden into the informal economy, which blocks the way of capacity development of the informal workers. In this way, we can't reject the fact that we have to depend on foreign manpower because of their skill and technology. Although the area of informal economy is wider then formal economy, no system has ever developed to measure the contribution of informal economy in the national income.

In this situation, along with hard time for national economy is coming forward for trade union and workers of informal economy. Therefore, DECONT has raised the issue of informal workers on the top priority since its establishment. DECONT is worried about such worker's issues like how to integrate the workers of informal sectors into trade union movement, how to encourage and make them able and how to protect their rights and welfare. Majority of the workers are out of the trade union movement so this movement is becoming incomplete. To fulfill the gap of this movement, it is necessary to unionize the informal workers. DECONT had organized a central level stakeholder consultative workshop in 2004 and that built the capacity and empowered the central level leaders. As per the DECONT's policy, it is decided to hold regional workshop on these issues for collecting the real situation from particular region and sharing the information with leaders at different level about the informal economy. With the objective, DECONT in cooperation with FES organized a two day training cum workshop on "Challenges of Informal Economy For Trade Unions" at Mangalapur, Rupandehi on 31 August-01 September 2005, specifically for women leaders and activists. Altogether 35 participants from Far-west, Mid-West and Western region took part in it.

Inaugural Ceremony

A brief inaugural ceremony was organized for formal inauguration of the workshop and chief guest for the ceremony was Sis. Rama Paudel, Women Vice-President of DECONT. The program was chaired by Sis. Bimala Gaire, acting President, Agricultural Workers' Union of Nepal (AWUN). Presented at the occasion as guests were Bro. Ayodhya Pd. Yadab, Regional Vice-President of DECONT, western region, Bro. Raghu Nath Adhikari, President, Nepal film worker's union, Bro. Janardan Niraula, central member DECONT, Bro. Binod Karki, President of Nepal Porters' Union and other well-wisher of DECONT. All the participants with chief guest clapped and the workshop was inaugurated. Welcome speech was delivered by Bro. Raghunath Adhikari. After that Bro. Janardan Niraula, Bro. Ayodhya Yadab, Sis. Rama Paudel and Tek Raj Bohora, Chief, Labour Office, Rupendehi delivered the speech about the informal economy and the role of trade unions.

Business session

After the inaugural session, a brief introduction session was held where participants, presented guests and resource persons introduced themselves on the basis of personal as well as organizational background. Thereafter, formal workshop was started with session on 'Overview of Informal Economy and Role of Trade Unions in Nepalese Scenario', which was facilitated by Bro. A. P. Yadav. In this session he described about the background of informal economy, present situation of workforce in informal economy, problems of those workers, planning and strategic problems, opportunities and challenges for trade unions, initiation of DECONT in informal economy etc. As well as he also put forward few policy recommendations for socio-economic reforms of the workers of informal economy. After the deliberation, an open discussion was also held for about 20 minutes in which 10 participants took part and expressed their experiences of local level.

The next session of the workshop was on 'Legal provision of informal economy' that was facilitated by Bro. Janardan Niraula where he described about definition of informal economy based on legal perspective, data on workers engaged in different sectors of informal economy, present legal status of labour or other legislation that to some extent cater the rights and issues of informal workers. He also discussed about the existing such provisions both national and international and their shortcomings to address the rights and welfare of informal workers as well as few recommendations to reform the workers' status under the informal economy. Thereafter an open discussion was also held for around 25 minutes and 14 participants raised their concern on the legal aspects.

The next session of the day was on 'Challenges for Women Workers in Informal Economy' that was facilitated by Bro. R. N. Adhikari. In this session he discussed about some important challenges thrown by informal economy for trade unions as well as for women workers. Thereafter, a group discussion was designed to collect the ideas and experience of women leaders regarding challenges of informal economy for them at grass root level. Thereafter, the participants were divided into four groups and assigned the task to prepare group reports on the subject matter. The group discussion was facilitated by Sis. Bimala Gaire and Bro. Adhikari jointly.

Second day

Session of the next day was started with the presentation of group reports on challenges for women workers in informal economy. All four groups presented their group discussions' outcome respectively. The discussion was also held on the group reports and the issues raised therein. The details of group reports are attached at the bottom of report. After it, next session was started and that was on 'Sharing experiences in organizing the unorganized women workers', which was facilitated by Sis. Bimala Gaire where she discussed about how the women workers of varied informal sectors could be organized under trade unions' structure. During the session she also discussed some examples of successful organizing strategies for informal women workers in other countries as well as collected the participants' views about how we can enhance our capacities to organize the unorganized women workers.

The next session of the programme was on "DECONTs' Policies and Organizing Strategies for Women Workers in Informal Sectors" and this session was facilitated by Bro. A. P. Yadav and Bro. Janardan Niraula jointly. During the session they briefed about the policies adopted by DECONT to organize the informal women workers and also activities carried out by DECONT in this aspect through different national unions. As well as it has been also discussed about the efforts of DECONT to strengthen and capacity building of such national unions so that they could organize more women workers and represent their voices. It has been also discussed about possible strategy to organize more and more women workers from such sectors to make the trade union movement much stronger. Thereafter an open discussion was held for around 25 minutes and 17 participants took part sharing their experiences.

The last session of the workshop was on "Developing Future Action Plan for Organizing Unorganized Women Workers of Informal Economy" and that was primarily a brainstorming session where participants were asked to develop an action-oriented workplan to organize informal sector women workers in their trade sectors which they represent. The session was facilitated by Sis. Gaire and Bro. Adhikari. For the group discussion the participants were divided on the basis of their representing districts and following tasks were assigned them for possible action plan:

1. List out the priority sectors under informal economy in their respective district.
2. List out the possible activities of unions to organize more women workers for coming one year.
3. Targets for organizing women workers.

After the group discussions, all the districts presented their action plan for coming one year where they presented their plan to organize and strengthen informal sectors workers and unions. The activities are from organizing new women members, renewing old women members, forming/reshuffling of district committees of such unions, bringing women workers into leadership, organizing campaigns, trade union education etc.

After the group discussion and report preparation, each group presented their report and was summed up by Sis. Poudel. The summary of the Action Plan is presented hereunder. Thereafter, a brief closing session was held where Sis. Rama Poudel, Bro. A. P. Yadav and Bro. R. N. Adhikari emphasized that informal economy is not only challenges instead it is an immense opportunity for trade unions. However it is necessary to explore those opportunities by trade unions. And, they hoped that the formulated action plan could help to exploit those opportunities by those districts presenting Action Plans especially in organizing and empowering women workers from informal sectors.

Outcomes of Group Discussion on Challenges of Women Workers in Informal Economy