Organizing in the informal economy – the interest of informal labour in trade unions Figure 8.6 Interest in group affiliation to trade unions 0% 5% 10% Ethiopia 1.6% Kenya 4.6% Benin 5.6% 6-country average 4.9% Zambia 3.2% Senegal 6.0% Côte d’Ivoire 8.3% 15% 20% 25% 30% 35% 40% 45% 41.3% 40.7% 34.4% 33.6% 32.8% 28.4% 24.2% Interest in group affiliation by group members Interest in group affiliation by all informal labour Discussion The interest in individual membership and group affiliation has to be put into a wider perspective. Informal employment is the dominant form of employment and makes up around 90 per cent of it(see ILO 2018: Table B1). Low relative figures thus turn into large absolute figures. In Benin, some 200,000 persons appear willing to join a union; in Kenya, with a much larger employment sector, one million or more declare such an interest. 8 In contrast to current union membership, the potential of informal labour to fill up union ranks becomes visible. Unfor­tunately, figures for trade union membership are notoriously unreliable and outdated. They are usually based on self-re­porting by trade unions, which have a tendency to set figures on the higher side to indicate organizational strength, and on the lower side if they have to pay fees to other organizations. information on trade unions becomes available, these figures may shoot up and a much higher percentage of the informally employed may be interested in joining. – A declaration of interest is not the same as actually apply­ing for membership. Triggers and opportunities matter. In the end, an organizing strategy that offers interested segments of the informal labour force opportunities to participate in trade union actions may be needed to transform declared interest into actual membership. – Asking respondents to disclose their interest in affiliation establishes a perception of individuals and not the will of a group. Conclusions on a»group consciousness« can be made if the interest of the group leadership is considered. By looking at members’ views only, we are still far from ascertaining what a group may decide. But a simple back-of-the-envelope calculation can help. If we assume a trade union density of 50 per cent for formal employment, we would arrive at some five per cent of all em­ployment, a figure which just equals the 5.5 per cent interest of informal labour. A lower density rate would put the interest of informal labour beyond existing membership levels. Even if these figures are only rough approximations, the potential for membership through intakes of informal labour appears to be huge. Winning over the already motivated in informal employment could easily double, if not treble the current membership of trade unions. Viewed from this angle, trade unions’ organizational base could be substantially enlarged. Several issues should be emphasized here: – Recommendations to trade unions on how to recruit are not a purpose of this study. It is left to trade unions to balance the costs and benefits of different recruitment strategies. What this survey does points out, however, is the fact that despite the generally low level of awareness of trade unionism in many segments of the informal economy and the widespread lack of personal experi­ence with trade unions there is a significant potential for recruitment. Sizeable groups of the informal labour force are sympathetic to trade unions and open to engage if trade unions»go for them«. 8.4 WILLINGNESS TO PAY MEMBERSHIP FEES – Declarations of interest in trade union membership are made within a social environment in which trade unions are not(yet) known or seen as a relevant player. If more 8 For a more detailed discussion see Traub-Merz(2020: 21). Self-financing is central to membership organizations’ sus­tainability and independence. Self-financing implies that the bulk of revenue is derived from membership dues. A trade union that offers services to affiliates without demanding monetary compensation in the form of affiliation dues or ser­vice payments risks draining its resources, which will lead to a 75