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Although the kinds of work waste pickers do differs across countries, some basic categories exist. These include: On route/truck waste pickers Refers to formal collection crews who segregate recyclables from household waste as a supplement to their salaries. The term can also designate informal...
Waste pickers collect, sort, recycle, and sell materials that others have thrown away. They benefit urban health and sanitation, lower municipal costs and fill gaps in municipal services─all contributing to a more sustainable urban environment. Yet waste pickers face challenges in protecting their...
A project intitiated by WIEGO highlighted issues endemic to the garment industry that drive poor working conditions at the lowest end of the value chain. WIEGO conducted the project with a High Street (UK) retailer of fast fashion to analyze the impact of purchasing practices on working conditions...
WIEGO seeks to promote a better understanding of how the working poor in the informal economy are inserted into the global economy, and with what consequences; and to identify strategies to promote fair trade for informal producers who want to export their goods and ethical trade for informal wage...
Information based on material prepared by Dave Spooner of the Global Labour Institute (UK) in 2011. Occupations of Informal Transport Workers There are numerous jobs within the informal transport industry and its sub-sectors: passenger transport, goods and freight, and rail and air services. As...
The informal economy has many faces and takes many forms across several occupations. This selection of stories illuminates the struggles and the successes of women and men across the world. Domestic Workers Organizing the Patience Industry by Ruth Castel-Branco ( WIEGO Workers' Lives publication) –...
Naana Adede, Accra, Ghana (2012) There is no running water at the Temas Station market in Accra, Ghana, but heavy rain has left dark puddles, rivulets of dirty water here and there that are beginning to dry in the heat. Nearby, a massive garbage bin overflows. Only a low shelf of tires separates...
For 11 years, Sarita Adhikary has been working with the Women Skill Development Organization in Nepal. She still vividly remembers her first meeting with the organization’s Executive Director, Mrs Ramkali Khadka—and remembers feeling so nervous she was practically trembling. Sarita was in need of...
These are the reflections of Marty Chen, WIEGO’s International Coordinator, following an Exposure-Dialogue Programme held January 27-February 1, 2013 in Ahmedabad, India, as part of WIEGO’s Law & Informality work . During the Exposure, Marty and Michael Piore of the Massachusetts Institute of...
The National Confederation of Trade Unions of Guinea (Confédération Nationale des Travailleurs de Guinée - CNTG) was founded in June 1960. It has 20,000 members from the informal sector, including 12,000 contributing members. The sectors in which CNTG works include: Textiles, Buildings, Commercial...
Videos / Slideshows / Audio
Millions of women work long hours, in dangerous conditions, for little pay. They are fighting for change, with the help of ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers. Watch this video to learn how.
Workers Education/Organizing Materials
This manual helps street vendors learn more about the regulations that govern public space and how to defend the right to work in public space. It describes successful actions taken by street vendor organizations. And it offers information to help you organize and negotiate with local government.
WIEGO Working Papers
Mike Rogan reviews how informal workers are taxed, why there is growing interest in taxing them, and whether they should be included in the tax net.