By Smritika Surin

Sukanya Majumder

Medha Bhattacharjee

Anisha Jain

Jindhya John

Aishwariya SD

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The Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA) is a trade union of women workers in India’s unorganized or informal sector. Founded by Ela Bhatt in 1972,

Over 1.2million members in Gujarat, Madhya Pradesh, Bihar, Delhi, Rajasthan, Uttar Pradesh, West Bengal, Kerala, and Uttarakhand.

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Members are women in informal economy:-- Street vendors, such as vegetable vendors-- Homebased workers, such as garment stitchers,

leather workers--Women selling their labour and services, such as

agricultural labourers, child care providers-- Small producers, such as small farmers, milk

producers

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To organise women workers to achieve full employment, i.e. work security, income security, food security and social security

To make women individually and collectively self-reliant, economically independent and capable of making their own decisions

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Supportive services like savings and credit, health care, child care, insurance, legal aid, capacity building and communication services are important needs of poor women. If women are to achieve their goals of full employment and self-reliance, these services are essential. Recognising the need for supportive services, SEWA has helped women take a number of initiatives in organising these services for themselves and their SEWA sisters. Many important lessons have been learnt in the process of organising supportive services for and by poor women. They provide these services in a decentralised and affordable manner, at the doorsteps of workers. Further, supportive services can be and are themselves a source of self-employment. For example, midwives charge for their services and creche workers collect fees for taking care of young children. Also, women are ready to pay for the services and in fact, this results in the financial viability of the supportive services. They do not have to be totally dependent on subsidies and grants. Some supportive services like savings and credit, health and child care have formed their own co-operatives. these cooperatives have gained operational self sufficiency. SEWA bank has achieved financial viability for many years now, while the other cooperatives are steadily moving towards this.

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SEWA is registered as a trade union under the Indian Trade Unions Act of 1926.

The union is open for membership to self-employed women workers all over India. The membership fee is Rs. 5 per year.

The union is governed by a two-tier level of elected representation. The Trade Committee has no fixed proportion to number of members but

varies between 15 to 50 members. Every three years the Trade Council elects an Executive Committee of 25

members. The representation on the Executive Committee reflects the proportion of the membership.

The office-bearers of the trade union are elected from among the Executive members. It has become a practice to elect the President from the trade with the largest membership.

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Gujarat- Ahmedabad, Baroda, Gandhi Nagar…….Madhya Pradesh- Indore, Bhopal, Ujjain…..Delhi- West, North, North East DelhiBihar- Katihar, Bhagalpur, Munger, PatnaRajasthan- Jaipur, BikanerUttarakhand- Dehradun, AlmoraKerala- TrivandrumUttar Pradesh- LucknowWest Bengal-

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• About 2% of the urban population are street vendors. Yes, cities do not plan spaces for them

• Result– they are always illegal and beaten and fines and have to undertake their livelihood “illegally”

• Solution: Implement the National Policy for street vendors– from removal to regulation

.

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The poorest of the poor are rag pickers living off public waste. They performing an important “green” function of recycling.

Solid Waste Management policies and tenders, remove their livelihood. Stop recycling

Solution: Include them and recycling in SWM by appropriate policies (tenders)

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• For about 30% of poor households their home is also their work place.

• Poor house quality lowers productivity• Zoning results in unemployment

Towards Solution– recognize the home as a workplace and Zoning should be mixed use esp. for homebased workers House improvement through infrastructure and loans

must be considered productive Electricity essential for productivity and should be priced

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Provision of urban infrastructure is tied to the tenure status of the land on which people live

Leads to open defecation, drinking polluted water, illnesses and tensions in communities.

Towards Solution– make provision of drinking water and toilet the right of every urban resident. Delink provision of basic services from the status of the land.

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• Lack of tenure and uncertainty of life, in spite of making payments for their houses.

• Inability to invest due to lack of tenure

Towards Solutions In situ up gradation, through granting shelter rights Spaces planned in cities for low income habitats Housing finance for the poor

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• Urban Local Body structures do not reach down into communities/ So no forums for “Voice” of the poor

• Only people with money and power get heard and so lop-sided investments and policies

Towards Solution, to create forums for Voice eg: Ward committees for street vending CBOs which will function as RWAs for the poor

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Subyben( mother) Reena Gangoben (grand mother)

Old cloth vendor SEWA worker Street vendor

Thank you

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