India

Five partners promote with WSM the social protection rights in India, which involve a combined two million workers:

• two trade unions: Confederation of Free Trade Unions of India (CFTUI), an independent trade union with 1,3 million members, and the National Domestic Workers Federation (NDWF), which promotes labour standards for domestic workers;
• the National Domestic Workers Movement, initiated by sister Jeanne Devos, which promotes coverage of social security for domestic workers and their families;
• AREDS: an umbrella organisation of various movements in Karur, Tamil Nadu, which offers access to health care;
• the Christian Workers Movement (CWM), which promotes labour standards and access to social security among its 40 affiliates and 18.000 members.

Partners lobby for various legislation changes, both on national and state level and mobilise over 600.000 workers to support their demands. The synergy of all five partners working together advocates decent living wages for domestic, agricultural and construction workers.

• Association of Rural Education and Development Service (AREDS): AREDS works towards one Humanity, believing that small people with conscious and collective numbers can create another world. AREDS is organizing people and building strong movements with economic, social, cultural and political alternatives. They focus on women organizations, dalits, young people and adolescent and also provide health services.

• National Domestic Workers Movement (NDWM): NDWM was created in 1985 in Tamil Nadu by Sister Jeanne Devos, to empower the many domestic workers exploited in India. With headquarters in Mumbai, NDWM is currently present in 17 states and reaches over 200.000 domestic workers. Priority activities include awareness raising, campaigning and advocacy to improve legislation and labour standards for domestic workers but also migrant workers. For these, NDWM also offers pre-departure training and rehabilitation programs.

• National Domestic Workers Federation (NDWF): was formed out of the effort of NDWM to organize domestic workers into trade unions led by domestic workers themselves. NDWF aims to protect, ensure and promote the rights of Domestic Workers in India and those working abroad through solidarity and participation. Its objectives are to ensure equal rights for domestic workers like any other workers, with regard to wages, social security, working conditions, health and other benefits etc. Since its creation in 2013, NDWF has been actively involved in lobbying for national legislation for Domestic Workers and to have ILO C189 regarding domestic workers ratified by India. End 2016, NDWF has 9 registered and 6 unregistered affiliated unions, totalizing 16.000 women members across 14 states.

• Christian Workers Movement India (CWM-I): CWM's mission is to fight for the respect of human dignity, for justice, and to ensure that men and women play a central role in development. CWM has about 18.000 members, 40% of which are women in 40 affiliated groups. Main activities are training and activities with vulnerable workers and unorganized workers from the informal sector. CWM focuses on migrants, women and young workers. CWM regularly organizes awareness campaigns and events, often in collaboration with other NGOs and trade unions.

• Confederation of Free Trade Unions of India (CFTUI): CFTUI is a completely politically independent national trade union, which is quite rare in India. CFTUI is present in 20 states with 1,3 million members from ten industries: utilities, transportation, education, construction, trade, food and agriculture, fishing, textile and clothing. CFTUI also has a specific branch for women workers. CFTUI works with vulnerable workers, mostly from informal economy, as well as with migrant workers. The support from WSM is used mainly for two aspects:

1. training for members and officials in all matters concerning the rights of workers as well as legal support to cases before labor courts;
2. organizing vulnerable workers in terms of access to social protection and social security coverage.

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