News and articles
April 2020
-
Protecting Workers in the Informal Economy during COVID-19 Pandemic
30 April 2020
The global Coronavirus pandemic is profoundly affecting the world of work.What do workers in the informal need and how can policy makers protect their lives and livelihoods? Learn more here...
June 2019
-
Future of trade unions depends on organizing the informal economy
20 June 2019
A new report reveals that organizing workers in the informal economy may spark the renewal of the trade union movement. This can be done by expanding membership and collective bargaining coverage in the informal economy in order to protect labour rights, project a united voice and influence social and economic policies.
September 2016
-
Organizing Workers in the Informal Economy: ILO ACTRAV Policy Brief
05 September 2016
The aim of this policy brief is to assist workers’ organizations in understanding and tackling the injustices and decent work deficits associated with employment in the informal economy. It provides information and proposes strategies that can be used to organize, protect and promote the rights and interests of informal economy workers.
August 2016
June 2016
-
Subregional seminar on “Informal Economy: trade union policies and actions”
14 June 2016
On 13-14 June Baku, Azerbaijan, hosted the ILO seminar entitled “Informal Economy: Policies and actions of trade unions" and devoted to the ILO Recommendation No 204.
-
“Step out of the shadow!”: How cartoons support a campaign to formalize the Kyrgyz economy
06 June 2016
Last year, the International Labour Conference adopted the Recommendation concerning the transition from the informal to the formal economy (No.204). An innovative project in Kyrgyzstan shows how this transition can be facilitated in practice.
November 2015
-
Informal economy: What are the experiences from Zimbabwe?
23 November 2015
The transition from informal to formal economy was one of the topics of discussion at the 325th session of the ILO Governing Body, which was held in Geneva from 2 to 12 November 2015. In this interview, Sithokozile Siwela, Vice-president of the Zimbabwe Congress of Trade Unions (ZCTU) highlighted the Zimbabwean experience on organizing workers in the informal economy. Ms. Siwela also explains the challenges related to the implementation of the ILO Recommendation on the transition from informal to formal economy.
July 2015
-
Role of Social Partnership in Reduction of the Share of Informal Economy – a Round Table in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region
10 July 2015
A Round Table of social partners “Role of social partnership in reduction of the share of informal economy” was held on July 10 and 11, 2015 in Gorno-Badakhshan Autonomous Region of Republic Tajikistan, one of the most remote high-mountain regions of Central Asia.
June 2015
-
New ILO Standard on the Informal Economy: A Tool for Workers
30 June 2015
The following is an interview with Plamen Dimitrov, Workers’ Spokesperson of the International Labour Conference (1-13 June 2015) Committee on the Transition from the Informal to Formal Economy, who expresses his views about the benefits for workers after the adoption of a new ILO Recommendation to tackle the informal economy. Mr Dimitrov also underlines the opportunities for unions to implement this standard in partnership with ILO.
-
International Labour Conference 2015: What were the results for the workers?
26 June 2015
The 104th session of the International Labour Conference was characterized by the Committee on the Application of Standards resuming its work, examining 24 individual cases of violations of international labour standards. In this interview, President of the Workers’ Group, Luc Cortebeeck, shares the workers’ perspective on the work of that Committee. Mr Cortebeeck also talks about the other issues discussed at this session, such as the transition from the informal to the formal economy, social protection, the discussions about small and medium-sized enterprises (SMEs) and the creation of decent and productive jobs, as well as the Director-General’s report on the Future of Work.