FRIEDRICH-EBERT-STIFTUNG – A majority working in the shadows 8 ORGANIZING IN THE INFORMAL ECONOMY – THE INTEREST OF INFORMAL LABOUR IN TRADE UNIONS Rudolf Traub-Merz 8.1 INTRODUCTION In many African countries, a debate is gaining momentum on whether trade unions, in order to turn declining member­ship around, should open themselves up to hitherto ignored segments of the labour market and start organizing the informally employed. Is the informal labour force a future recruitment terrain for trade unions? No representative survey has yet been undertaken to inquire directly in face-to-face interviews what those who obtain their livelihoods from informal employment really think about trade unions. Our joint survey sheds light on the willingness of the informal labour force to cooperate with trade unions or even join them as members or affiliates. 1 8.2 TRADE UNIONS ARE UNKNOWN TO MANY, BUT THOSE WHO KNOW THEM HAVE A POSITIVE VIEW In general, members of the informal labour force 2 – which is made up of the four status groups employers, employees, own-account workers, and family support workers – have a low level of awareness of trade unions(Figure 8.1). In a six-country average, only 39.4 per cent reported having ever heard about trade unions. Knowledge of trade unions varies tremendously between countries. In the Côte d’Ivoire, Kenya and Benin, more than half of the people in informal employ­ment have at least heard about trade unions. In Senegal and Zambia, this share is down to a third or less; for Ethiopia, we have to conclude that nearly the whole segment of the informal employed are unaware of trade unions’ existence. Certainly, urban dwellers are more familiar with trade union affairs, but despite their proximity to urban-oriented union activities, large segments of the urban informal labour force are again not aware of what trade unions stand for. 3 This low level of knowledge points to a structural distance between the informal labour force and trade unions. Only between 1.2 per cent(Ethiopia) and 5.5 per cent(Senegal) of the informal labour force have ever participated in trade union activities. Personal contacts with a trade unionist are similarly non-existent. The low level of interconnection is a strong in­dicator that trade unions have largely neglected the informal economy. Those segments of the informal labour force who have some knowledge of trade unions, however, have a fairly positive view of them. In all countries, a clear majority emphasize the importance of trade unions and reject the view that trade un­ions should be banned(Figure 8.2). With some reservations in Zambia and Kenya, most even believe that trade unions should become stronger. Views are more scattered with re­gard to performance indicators. Around half of the informal labour forces are convinced that trade unions improve the social situation of many, while somewhat fewer believe in their efficiency. In different intensities, these views also point to the need for trade unions to improve their performance, become more efficient and less corrupt. Overall, trade unionism as a principle is fully endorsed, but its practical implementation is not supported to the same extent. 8.3 INTEREST OF THE INFORMAL LABOUR FORCE IN TRADE UNIONS To assess the interest of informal labour in trade unions and to appraise the willingness to be organized by trade unions a four-step approach is applied. 4 (i) Respondents first identify those who they perceive to be the main beneficiaries of trade union activities. This helps to put expectations about trade unions into a so­cio-structural perspective. 1 For a detailed account see Traub-Merz(2020). 2 Use of the term»informal labour force« is not technically correct here, as it includes those who are unemployed. We use»informal ­labour force« synonymously with»informal employment« because (i) in countries with no unemployment insurance, unemployment ­remains unregistered, and(ii) the key problem is not unemployment, but underemployment. Because of the absence of unemployment benefits, people have to accept even minor jobs to make(a little) ­income. (ii) Respondents then appraise trade unions’ organizational independence from the government. 3 For an account of urban/rural differences in four countries, see Traub­Merz(2020: 9). 4 Reference is always to those who have heard of trade unions. 70