Organizing in the informal economy – the interest of informal labour in trade unions Figure 8.1 Knowing trade unions and interacting with them 0% 10% 20% 30% Côte d’Ivoire 6.4% 4.8% Kenya 2.4% 2.1% Benin 1.4% 2.0% 6-country average 2.9% 2.9% Senegal 4.6% 5.5% Zambia 0.8% 1.6% Ethiopia 1.7% 1.2% 12.2% 23.0% 40% 39.4% 33.2% 50% 60% 70% 61.7% 55.3% 51.1% Heard about trade unions Contacted by a trade unionist Participated in trade union activity Question:»Have you ever heard about trade unions and what they are doing«. Answer options:»I have not heard about trade unions«;»I have heard about trade unions but do not know what they are doing«;»I know a little about trade unions«;»I have heard about trade unions and I know what they are doing«. Note: The questions»have you had contacts with trade unions?« and»have you participated in trade union activity?« were directed only to those who had at least heard about trade unions. We assume that those who have never heard about trade unions had equally never had contacts with trade unionists or participated in trade union activity and therefore refer the answer to the total sample, that is: all informal employment. Figure 8.2 Perceptions of trade unions(TU) 100% 90% 80% 70% 60% 50% 40% 30% 20% 10% 0% 79.9% 79.1% 68.9% 56.9% 45.2% 40.3% TU are important organisations TU should be banned – statement rejected TU should become stronger TU improve the social situation of many TU are inefficient – TU are corrupt – statement rejected statement rejected Senegal Zambia Kenya Benin Côte d'Ivoire Ethiopia 6-country average Note 1: Answer options were»fully agree«;»mostly agree«;»partly agree/partly disagree«;»mostly disagree«;»fully disagree«. Figure 2 shows only the answer options»fully agree« and»mostly agree«, which are added. Note 2: For the statements»trade unions should be banned«;»trade unions are inefficient« and»trade unions are corrupt«, the figure shows those respondents who disapproved of the statement. Note 3: Reference is made to those who have heard of trade unions. 71