Context in Nepal in 2020

COVID-19 marred 2020 in Nepal, with 264.000 confirmed cases and 2.800 registered deaths. Strict lockdown rules from March 24 to July 21 wreaked havoc with the economy, causing much distress among workers, particularly in the informal sector. With land borders with India and China closed, and international flights suspended for parts of the year, remittances and tourist incomes (usually 33% and 8% of GDP respectively) dropped sharply. By year end, GDP growth was at 1.8%, compared to 7% in 2019. To cap off a stressful year, Prime Minister Oli dissolved Parliament in December 2020, prompting protests and instability.

The social protection response by the government of Nepal to the COVID-19 crisis was mainly through delivering relief packages to vulnerable households during the initial peak (March-May). These relief package included food aid, a 10% reduction on essential food items, and a 25% reduction on electricity bills. Informal sector workers who lost their jobs were offered positions in public employment programmes for minimum wage, or provided with 25% of the local minimum wage if they chose not to participate.

India 2020 in numbers

 Over 1,17 million Indians were reached in 2020:

• 452.000 people (49% women and 44% youth) are more aware of their labour rights through campaigns and outreach. Trade unions organized over 112.000 workers, of which 91% women and 52% youth.
• Almost 6.700 people, of which 84% women and 55% youth, received basic training in labour standards, social security and health. 6.200 Indians, of which 87% women and 41% young workers, received advanced training (of leaders or of trainers).
• Over 10.000 workers, majority of which were women (82%) and 40% young workers, benefitted from legal assistance for labour rights.
• Advocacy: More than 539.000 people (32% women and 44% young workers) were mobilized at grassroots level (ex. demonstrations, petitions…).

Partner organizations:      CWM-India, AREDS, NDWM, NDWF, CFTUI, SEWA

Budget 2020:              328.230€

Donor:              DGD, Brussels Region International, Familiehulp, ACV Food and Services

Program:              2017-2021 (DGD)

Indian partners advocating together in 2020

During 2020, union protests against the reform of the labour codes continued and took a sharper tone. The partner organizations mobilized their members in collaboration with other recognized trade unions of India. They looked at issues like informal workers’ registration procedures into a database. In September 2020, a nationwide protest held by NDWM, NDWF and CFTUI under the National Platform Domestic Workers demanded National Legislation for Domestic Workers, cash transfers to domestic workers affected by the corona crisis and the implementation of the Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme. 

Memoranda were submitted to the Members of Parliament, Labour Ministers, Labour Commissioners and District Collectors in different states. The partner organizations jointly mobilized over 30.000 workers and provided training to 700 workers, of which two thirds were women.

With the support from Brussels Region, our partners also jointly conducted a study in different states on how informal workers had access to social security schemes during the COVID pandemic, in collaboration with Working People’s Charter. WSM also supported the self-employed women’s trade union SEWA in Kerala to support intra-state migrant workers in getting access to social security schemes.

Amidst COVID-19 and labour reforms - work from WSM partners in India 2020

 Labour law reform

In 2020, in the midst of the COVID-19 pandemic, the central government pushed through with the biggest labour law reform since independence in 1947, to amalgamate and codify 44 existing labour laws into 4 codes in order to simplify the labour legislation in India: a code on wages; a code on industrial relations; a code on occupational safety, health and working conditions; a code on social security. While the central government and some state governments maintain that the labour law reform is necessary in order to boost productivity and to provide greater flexibility to employers to conduct their business, while expanding the social security to both gig workers as inter-state migrant workers. The reform however triggered a serious backlash from trade unions and other labour movements, claiming it as being ‘anti-worker’ and ‘anti-labour’, resulting in a massive general strike held across India on 26th November 2020 in which they claim 250 million workers took part, a majority of them non-unionized and non-organized workers. The main concerns of the broader labour movement are the extension of maximum working time from 8 to 12 hours per day, the introduction of  restrictions on the right to strike effectively making industrial actions impossible, and the increase of a threshold for collective layoffs from 100 to 300 workers without prior government approval. The workers’ strike was followed by a march of tens of thousands of farmers to New Delhi to protest against the liberalization of the agricultural sector, which could mean the end of government-controlled wholesale markets and minimum support buying prices for agricultural produce.

Coronavirus and lockdown in India

Just like other countries in the world India was struck hard by the COVID-19 virus. On 24th March 2020 a nationwide lockdown was imposed until 14th April and eventually extended until 30th September. This created a lot of chaos as workers, most certainly those in the informal economy (the majority of all Indian workers) could no longer go to work or keep open their business. It led to a collapse in economic activity in the whole country. Due to the loss of income and work, many workers living in the city went back to their family in the countryside, thus contributing to the further spread of the virus. International flights were cancelled and the country’s borders closed, preventing many Indian migrant workers to return home, trapping them for a long time without salary being paid due to the closure of their factory or construction site. Also intrastate travelling became very complicated. 

During the first lockdown, partner organizations took the initiative to help the workers and their families in the relief effort, informing them about the nature of the virus and the health risks, distributing personal protective equipment such as masks and hand gels, raising awareness about the importance of quarantine and social distancing, distributing food and medicines.

Although the partner organizations were able to adjust quite fast to the situation, the pandemic and lockdown resulted in the cancelling of many of the originally planned activities. Mainly trainings in groups could not take place or had to be postponed. The partner organizations successfully started to make use of online meetings to stay connected to their members and each other, which became a (less than ideal) alternative for the normal meetings. Most of the partner organizations (except for AREDS) made use of the possibility to reorient 20% of their annual DGD – budget to aforementioned COVID-19 related actions. The partner organizations took this crisis as an opportunity to strengthen the grass root activities by collaborating with different stakeholders and State departments like the police department ( to create awareness), the welfare departments (to give access to welfare/social security schemes to the informal workers), by mobilizing and supporting public distribution of rations and provisions. By involving these different actors and departments, the partner organizations could analyze how government machineries are responding to shocks, how informal workers and grass root level communities were affected by these measures. This helped them to advocate with different trade unions and national platforms and to mobilise for strikes against the Central Government to protest the new labour codes and farmers’ laws.

Aside from the regular DGD – program funds, WSM also channelled funds to the National Domestic Workers Movement from the Music for Life solidarity action and the Brussels Region International (BRI), which has sistered with Chennai, a city in the southeast of India and capital of Tamil Nadu State. BRI supported the NDWM Tamil Nadu branch in supporting domestic workers and their children who have been evicted from the Chennai city center slums and had been relocated 40km away, causing many to lose their jobs and lacking schools. In the second half of 2020, BRI also provided 50.000€ for relief aid to NDWM and 3 other local Chennai organizations. With the support of Belgian organisation Familiehulp, NDWM was also able to start up and develop domestic workers’ cooperatives in six states.

When your daughter is the first to finish high school, Testimony of a domestic worker - India 2020

Devi, 36 years, a domestic worker from Patna, part of the National Domestic Workers’ Movement since 2009: “I have four children and my husband is a daily wage labourer who does not support the family. The movement staff contacted me and encouraged me to educate my children. With their support I admitted first two children in school and later the other two. Today I am extremely happy that my child, Anjali, has completed her +2 in a reputed school in Patna and my other children are in class 8th, 5th and 3rd. This is the first time in our locality that a girl child  has completed higher secondary studies and she has dreams to become a teacher. NDWM also stood by my family along with 95 domestic workers families in my locality during the lockdown."

New Oxfam report on the need for USP in times of COVID19 'Shelter from the Storm"

Oxfam launched the report “Shelter from the Storm. The global need for universal social protection in times of COVID-19”. As 2020 draws to a close, the economic devastation caused by the COVID-19 pandemic shows no sign of abating. Without urgent action, global poverty and inequality will deepen dramatically. Hundreds of millions of people have already lost their jobs, gone further into debt or skipped meals for months. Research by Oxfam and Development Pathways shows that over 2 billion people have had no support from their governments in their time of need.

Our analysis shows that none of the social protection support to those who are unemployed, elderly people, children and families provided in low- and middle-income countries has been adequate to meet basic needs. 41% of that government support was only a one-off payment and almost all government support has now stopped.

Decades of social policy focused on tiny levels of means-tested support have left most countries completely unprepared for the COVID-19 economic crisis. Yet, countries such as South Africa and Bolivia have shown that a universal approach to social protection is affordable, and that it has a profound impact on reducing inequality and protecting those who need it most. Read more here.

COVID-19 and older people in Asia Pacific: 2020 in review

The report “COVID-19 and older people in Asia Pacific: 2020 in review” published by UNFPA and HelpAge International is a look back at how the pandemic affected older people in Asia Pacific in 2020.

This paper documents some of the key themes that emerged throughout the year and suggests critical gaps that 2021 will urgently need to address. The pandemic has exposed the fine line between highlighting older people’s social vulnerabilities and reinforcing ageist perceptions.

You can download it here.

Attending 1st meeting of the OECD Policy Dialogue on Social Protection and Development: Extending Social Protection to Informal Economy Workers

Members from WSM and INSP!R Asia attended the OECD Development centre policy dialogue on Social Protection and Development 1st meeting of the OECD Policy Dialogue on Social Protection and Development which focused on a central theme  we have been focusing on: extending Social Protection to Informal Economy Workers. The following gives an idea of what was discussed:

Recent  years  have  seen  a  heightened  recognition  of  the  potential  role  of  social  protection  in  the development process. Universal social protection now constitutes an essential component of the global agenda for sustainable development and it features amongst key policy priorities in several regional and national commitments. The current COVID-19 crisis, which is disproportionately affecting the most vulnerable, sadly confirms the centrality of social protection to build more resilient societies.

Yet, the road to universal social protection remains difficult in many countries. A common challenge in developing and emerging countries where informal employment  dominates is to find appropriate modalities  to  expand  social  protection  coverage  in  a  way  that  recognises  the  diversity  of  informal economy  workers  and  provides  them  with  mechanisms  that  are  fair,  efficient  and  sustainable.  As governments intend to build informality-robust social protection systems, another challenge is to make social protection instruments gender-sensitive and gender-transformative. In this context, learning from countries about their  experiences in extending social protection to men and women in the informal economy appears critical.

The aim of this first meeting of the policy dialogue on social protection and development is to provide an  interactive  setting  between  member  countries  of  the  OECD  Development  Centre  and  other stakeholders for an issue-based peer dialogue, experience sharing, mutual learning and the collective production  of  new  knowledge  to  support  the  extension  of  social  protection  to  informal  economy workers. As such, it is an important contribution to the Universal Social Protection Agenda 2030. The dialogue was articulated around the following sessions: 

1. Session 1 looks at the importance of capturing the different social protection needs of informal economy workers; 
2. Section 2 and Session 3 discuss the role of  social  assistance  and  social  insurance  for  informal  economy  workers  in  times  of  COVID-19, respectively; and 
3. the last session addresses the role of innovative financing schemes for informal gig-economy workers.

A  new  OECD  database  –  the  OECD  Key  Indicators  of  Informality  based  on  Individuals  and  their Households  (KIIBIH)  –  relies  on  household  surveys  from  41  countries  to  derive  harmonised  and comparable  indicators  across  countries  related  to  informal  employment  measured  at  the  level  of individuals  and  their  households.  By  covering  both  individuals  and  their  households,  the  database allows  for  a  comprehensive  monitoring  of  informality  that  captures  the  heterogeneity  of  informal economy  workers,  taking  into  account  the  broader  context  of  their  households.  The  household dimension allows to monitor how workers’ vulnerability in the informal economy is passed on to other segments of the population and also enriches our understanding of the different channels through which social protection can reach out to informal workers as part of the formalisation agenda.

Such data suggest that a strategy to extend social protection to informal economy workers may well be articulated around the following three pillars: 

• (i) closing the social protection gap among poor informal economy workers through non-contributory schemes; 
• (ii) extending contributory schemes to non-poor informal workers that have the capacity to contribute; and 
• (iii) creating incentives to levy higher social security   contributions   from   employers   of   wage   workers   and   workers   in   hidden   employment relationships.

Publication on the urgency of climat change actions

Our planet is in danger, and if we do not drastically change our actions, the consequences could be devastating for all humans, including future generations.

It is therefore necessary to put forward a new narrative, one that values solidarity between peoples and is the precursor to mobilising actions. We must abandon the culture of competition that pursues profit at all costs and replace it with the pursuit of the well-being of all, in harmony with nature.

The partner organisations of WSM, ACV-CSC and CM-MC are unions, mutual health organisations and other social movements in Asia, Africa, Latin America and the Caribbean. These organisations, with their strong social base, are levers for sustainable social change because they are already actively responding to the negative impacts of climate change, which primarily affects their communities.

In this brochure we offer you an overview of some of the innovative approaches to change.

Qatar introduces historic reforms to its labour market

In a historic move, the State of Qatar has introduced major changes to its labour market, ending the requirement for migrant workers to obtain their employer’s permission to change jobs, while also becoming the first country in the region to adopt a non-discriminatory minimum wage. 

This new law, coupled with the removal of exit permit requirements earlier in the year, effectively dismantles the controversial “kafala” sponsorship system and marks the beginning of a new era for workers and employers in Qatar. This is an issue WSM partners have been working on for a long time, so definitely a big step forward!

Find out more here. 

Women Power: Gender in India: new documentary

A documentary regarding women power entitled SHAKTHI has just been released regarding gender in India, figuring SWATE, one of  the sister movements of AREDS in Karur. 

Here also in Spanish.

International Day For Older Persons

This 1st of October is 30th anniversary of the United Nations designated day to focus and raise awareness about the well-being and needs of the elderly people. "The world marks the 30th anniversary of the International Day of Older Persons as we reckon with the disproportionate and severe impact that the COVID-19 pandemic has wrought on older persons around the world – not only on their health, but on their rights and well-being." António Guterres, UN Secretary-General has said.

2020 to 2030 is the 'Decade of Healthy Ageing'. Over the next 30 years, the number of older persons worldwide is projected to be more than double, reaching more than 1.5 billion persons. 80% of them will be in low and middle-income countries. Projections indicate that number of 60-plus people in India will increase to 14.3 crore in 2021 and 17.3 crore in 2026.

Since several years, WSM has facilitated exchanges between OKRA and GK regarding elderly, looking at the changing demographics and ageing. This theme and approach have been shared with the Asia partners and now also in other continents. 

For this 1st October 2020, OKRA contributed to having messages from two Belgian ministers here.  GK organized a discussion meeting in Bangladesh, with Sherpur Upazila Health Officer Dr. Happy Hossain. All the workers of the public health center, Sherpur along with the senior people of the area, Executive Director of the Public Health Center, Golam Mostafa Dulal attended the program. In 2018, GK supported public health centers to form 10 ′′senior clubs′′ in different rural areas of Bangladesh. The clubs provide social services with primary healthcare for seniors and helped keep elderly active and involved. 

India: protest by domestic workers

Nationwide protest held by NDWM, NDWF and CFTUI under the National Platform Domestic Workers  to demand National Legislation for Domestic Workers, Cash transfer to the domestic workers affected by Covid crisis and to implement the Urban Employment Guarantee Scheme. 

Memoranda were submitted to the MPs, Labour Ministers in different States, Labour Commissioners and District Collectors. These are images from States of Maharashtra, Bihar, Tamil nadu, Nagaland, Meghalaya, Orissa, Jharkand, Karnataka, Delhi, UP, Kerala, MP and Goa.

The nationwide protests received a lot of media coverage. In a press conference organized in Assisi Auditorium in Dimapur, the NDWM-Nagaland Region laid down four demands for the government. It demanded the recognition of domestic workers as workers, while seeking protection for them against all types of harassment. It also called for social security and access to benefits for the domestic workers and asked the State Government to include domestic workers in the schedule of employment and thus ensuring minimum wages entitlement. “Domestic Workers are essential workers, they are not carriers of diseases, do not discriminate them,” was the NDWM-Nagaland Region’s stand as they joined the nationwide campaign organized by the National domestic workers platform with its 34 unions.

       

    

EU Parliament adopts joint resolution on Philippines

The European Parliament adopted a joint resolution on the situation in the Philippines, including the case of Maria Ressa. Please find the text here. The resolution is a negotiated compromise between all 6 democratic political groups in the European Parliament. 

It highlights among others:

• the space for civil society is shrinking to an increasing extent the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) Report of 2020, the Philippines is included in the top 10 most dangerous countries in the world for workers;whereas the Philippine trade union movement has complained about the repression of workers’ rights, including through ‘red-tagging’, disappearances and killings of labour leaders and trade unionists;
• Condemns all threats, harassment, intimidation, rape and violence against those who seek to expose allegations of extrajudicial killings and other human rights violations inthe country, including human rights and environmental activists, trade unionists and journalists; 
• denounces the misuse of the law and judiciary systems as a means of silencing critical voices; 

It calls on the following:

• on the EU delegation and Member States’representations in the country to strengthen their support for civil society in their engagement with Philippine authorities, and to use all available instruments to increase their support for human rights and environmental defenders’ work, 
• Given the seriousness of the human rights violations in the country, calls on the European Commission, in the absence of any substantial improvement and willingness to cooperate on the part of the Philippine authorities, to immediately initiate the procedure which could lead to the temporary withdrawal of GSP+ preferences;
• Calls on the Philippine authorities to support the implementation of the UN Guiding Principles on Business and Human Rights (UNGPs), and to ensure effective human rights due diligence processes for investment, development and business projects,especially with regard to large scale agribusiness acquisitions, extractive industries,infrastructure projects and cooperation involving the security sector; calls on companies based in or operating within the EU to strictly comply with the UNGPs and both international and national human rights law, as well as to conduct a meticulous and comprehensive due diligence process in relation to all their business operations and relationships within the country.