Resources

Reports and research

BRIEFING - Who Foots the Bill for the EU’s unfair trade agreements? How India’s homebased workers are being excluded from the EU-India Free Trade Agreement negotiations.

Europe is negotiating a trade deal with India. However the deal has failed to recognise the role of workers in the informal economy, many of whom are women working in their own homes, or the impact that the FTA could have on them. This paper is a discussion document which gives an overview to the negotiations and summarises some of the key criticisms that have been levelled by civil society organisations. It then analyses the likely impact for homebased workers and calls for recognition of the important role that homebased workers and other informal workers play in the Indian economy and for a deal that recognises the gendered implications of increased liberalisation. This briefing is by former HWW staff member Ruth Bergan, and we are grateful to Ruth for the work she has done completing the document in her own time since leaving HWW. Thanks also to Jane Tate for her comments and input.
hwweuindiaftabriefing.pdf 179.7 KB PDF document

Bulgaria Visit - Autumn 2010

In October 2010, Homeworkers Worldwide visited Kaloian, the homeworkers’ association in Petrich in the South West of Bulgaria. We had discussions with members of Kaloian and visited seven women doing homework. After twenty years of ‘democracy’, women in Petrich are once more in crisis and anxious about how they and their families are going to survive. In the mid-2000s, the economic situation began to improve. But the current crisis has had a deep impact. Factories and workshops have closed and it is difficult to find work. While the supply of homework has become more irregular, it is still the main source of income for many families. You can read a summary of our visit in the Bulgaria section of this website or download a full report here.
article181110.doc 48.3 KB Word document

Declaration on the Launch of Ev-Ek-Sen (Union of Homebased Workers)

In November of 2009, homebased workers founded the first trade union for homebased workers in Turkey - Ev-Ek-Sen. After many years working in local projects as well as national and international networks, Ev-Ek-Sen has been officially registered. However, according to Turkish law, only workers registered for social security have the legal right to form a trade union. Since homebased workers are not officially recognised as workers, Ev-Ek-Sen is going to have to fight a protracted legal campaign to win the right to exist. The union has issued a declaration calling for support from all those who have a common interest in this struggle for the right of freedom of association and for workers' rights for homebased workers.
eveksen.rtf 18.1 KB RTF document

Congress Report - Bolivia Women’s Centre in 2006 (English)

As part of the activities of the Bolivia Women’s Centre in 2006, alliances with various organisations and institutions allowed us to continue work of organisation of Home-based women workers. To this end the FIRST DEPARTMENTAL CONGRESS OF WOMEN (MEN) HOMEBASED WORKERS took place in the city of La Paz on the 28th of September.
cemujcongresseng.doc 374.0 KB Word document

INFORME DE CONGRESO por la Central de Mujeres Bolivia en la gestión 2006

En el marco de las actividades realizadas por la Central de Mujeres Bolivia en la gestión 2006,y a través de diferentes alianzas con organizaciones e instituciones, permitieron darle continuidad al trabajo de organización de las Trabajadoras a Domicilio, en virtud de este objetivo se ha realizado, en la ciudad de La Paz el 28 de Septiembre del año en curso EL 1º CONGRESO DEPARTAMENTAL DE TRABAJADORAS (ES) A DOMICILIO.
cemujcongressspan.doc 62.0 KB Word document

Mapping as Organising - Annie Delaney, Rosaria Burchielli, Donna Buttigieg

Successful organizing in the informal sector has occurred through homeworker mapping. Homeworker mapping refers to a vertical and horizontal mapping programme based on principles of participation and education through action research. This paper explores homeworker mapping as a successful organizing strategy by examining primary documents from homeworker organizations.
mappingasorganizing.pdf 50.3 KB PDF document

Letter Asda ETI Report 2009

Homeworkers Worldwide is a member of the Ethical Trading Initiative. Member companies report annually to ETI about their implementation of the ETI Base Code. NGOs give feedback to ETI-member companies about their ethical performance on behalf of the NGO members of ETI as a whole, with suggestions for improvements. Feedback letters are normally confidential but may be used in public communications by companies, in which case they may be publicly disclosed by the respective NGO. Asda has published the feedback letter from HWW about its latest (2009) ETI report in response to a campaign by ActionAid for Asda to ensure that workers making its garments in South Asia earn a Living Wage. See http://aislespyblog.asda.com/2010/7/6/our-open-invitation-to-action-aid HWW welcomes Asda's public commitment to address the issues raised in this letter, notably to involve unions and NGOs in sourcing countries in monitoring pay and conditions at its suppliers. We also encourage the company to commit publicly to paying a living wage and publish a timetable for doing so, to ensure that prices paid to suppliers cover the cost of a living wage and to involve workers and their representatives in their implementation of a living wage, as called for by ActionAid. See here http://www.actionaid.org.uk/102534/asda_falls_behind_rivals_on_garment_workers_pay.html HWW's letter to Asda is published in full here:
letter-asda-eti-report-2009.doc 30.5 KB Word document

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