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Organising Workers in the Informal Economy: The Experience of the Self Employed Women’s Union, 1994-2004

By , on January 01, 2004

Abstract:
This research report provides a very thorough picture of the activities of the Self Employed Women‟s Union (SEWU) in South Africa, analysing how it has organized women in the informal economy. SEWU organizes self-employed women involved in informal economic activities, who have a maximum of three employees. Members can be involved in e.g. home based production, small-scale farming, or street trading. One of the challenges faced by SEWU is that many join the union temporarily when facing a crisis, but do not make a long term commitment to membership. SEWU has been engaged in a number of activities, including, advocacy for the street vendors‟ right to public space; participating on a plethora of policy making platforms on local, national, and international levels; providing training to members on skills required in their employment as well as skills that assist on organising and socioeconomic empowerment; assisting members in accessing credit and saving facilities; aiding the members in becoming leaders within the organisation; conducting research; and building alliances on international, regional, and local levels.

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Citation Information

Devenish, Annie, and Skinner, Caroline. Organising Workers in the Informal Economy: The Experience of the Self Employed Women’s Union, 1994-2004. , , . , 2004. https://www.wiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Devenish-Organizing-Workers.pdfDevenish, A., and Skinner, C. (2004). Organising Workers in the Informal Economy: The Experience of the Self Employed Women’s Union, 1994-2004. , , . https://www.wiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Devenish-Organizing-Workers.pdfDevenish, Annie, and Skinner, Caroline. "Organising Workers in the Informal Economy: The Experience of the Self Employed Women’s Union, 1994-2004." 2004, .Devenish Annie, and Skinner Caroline. "Organising Workers in the Informal Economy: The Experience of the Self Employed Women’s Union, 1994-2004." (2004). https://www.wiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Devenish-Organizing-Workers.pdfDevenish, A, and Skinner, C 2004, 'Organising Workers in the Informal Economy: The Experience of the Self Employed Women’s Union, 1994-2004', , , . https://www.wiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Devenish-Organizing-Workers.pdfAnnie Devenish, and Caroline Skinner, 'Organising Workers in the Informal Economy: The Experience of the Self Employed Women’s Union, 1994-2004' (2004). Devenish A., and Skinner C. Organising Workers in the Informal Economy: The Experience of the Self Employed Women’s Union, 1994-2004. . 2004. https://www.wiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Devenish-Organizing-Workers.pdfDevenish, Annie, and Skinner, Caroline. Organising Workers in the Informal Economy: The Experience of the Self Employed Women’s Union, 1994-2004. . 2004. , . https://www.wiego.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/09/Devenish-Organizing-Workers.pdf

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