Abstract
The study examined the policy responses of organised labour towards the informal sector. It is based on a qualitative survey of trade unions in the textile, clothing and footwear sectors. The dualistic, Marxist structuralist, feminist and growth theories of the informal sector were used to evaluate policy responses towards the informal sector. The investigation of the dynamic relationship of trade unions with workers in the informal sector was informed by the transformation of the nature of work that is characterised by informalisation and the increased employment of contingent workers, the majority of whom are women. Informalisation was found to manifest itself through the use of homeworkers and ‘independent’ contractors. The study further showed that the formal and informal sectors were interdependent. This makes a compelling case for trade unions to organise vulnerable workers and to pursue the mainstreaming of the informal sector. However a rigid gender discourse was found to militate against the development of solidarity with the informal sector. The findings of the study suggest that gender mainstreaming within trade unions is a prerequisite for effectively mainstreaming the informal sector and that organising the informal sector is a gender issue.
Prof. G. Verhoef