By Demilade Aderibigbe
A women rights advocacy group Women in Informal Employment Globalisation and Organising (WIEGO) have called for the recognition of the work of workers in informal employment, especially waste pickers, and their current and potential contributions to reducing carbon emissions and mitigating environmental damage.
WIEGO representative and IAWP member Theresa Torkwase Bul, speaking at the 111th session of the International Labour Convention (ILC) in Geneva, Switzerland, last Wednesday, said those working in the informal sector needed the recognition because of the quantum of their contributions to reducing carbon emission.
Bul, a waste picker and member of the Lagos State chapter of the Nigerian Association of Scraps and Waste Pickers (NASWP) and representative of the union at the global Labour event in Geneva.
Speaking at the opening session of the General Discussion Committee on Just Transition, Bul said the contributions of women in informal employment and their contributions to carbon emissions cannot be under estimated.
She said: “The inclusion of Organisations of workers in informal employment, through implementation of Recommendation 204, in social dialogue, collectively negotiations has become non-negotiable so that they can have a seat at the table in planning and decision-making processes on the issues that impact them.
“Just transition processes should be sensitive to gender equality and the realities of workers in the informal economy,” she insisted.
She added that the International networks of workers in the informal economy and WIEGO welcome the ILO report on achieving a just transition towards environmentally sustainable economies and societies for all. For the ILO, and for us, a just transition means greening the economy in a way that is fair and inclusive, creating decent work opportunities, and leaving no one behind. To fulfill this commitment, workers in informal employment – more than two billion workers who make up 61% of the global labour force, must be included, Bul added.
“To move towards a more environmentally sustainable economy that serves all workers, it is necessary to link the Just Transition with the Transition from the informal to the formal economy by implementing the ILO Recommendation no. 204. A just transition must generate pathways to decent, inclusive jobs and protections so that all workers impacted by economic disruption can be effectively integrated into new systems or retrained into other occupations. “They must be included in social dialogue, and able to negotiate collectively and have a seat at the table in planning and decision-making processes on the issues that impact them. Organizations of workers in informal employment are already engaging with national governments to seek meaningful inclusion.”
