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“Lin’s” BBQ cart was once a busy operation in the center of downtown Flushing, a prosperous and predominately East Asian neighborhood in Queens, New York City. People used to wait in long lines for five-to-ten minutes just for a taste of lamb or chicken skewers, fresh off her charcoal grill. Now Lin...
When the 2019 International Labour Conference voted to adopt Convention 190 on Ending Violence and Harassment in the World of Work (C190), it marked a victory for informal workers—especially women—whose organizations advocated tirelessly to ensure C190 addresses the realities of some of the world’s...
Globally, 2-billion people work in the informal economy. They are some of the most vulnerable workers in the world, and they are the new majority. This means that 61% of workers globally rely on work that offers little pay and few protections, and women are particularly at risk. Public policies and...
Through a series of ambitious global commitments in recent years, governments across the world have signed on to build a more equitable and sustainable urban future.
The recent proposal by the Delhi government to make public transportation free for women has been hailed as a way to improve women’s safety in the city. The idea is that group solidarity on buses and trains has the potential to reduce risks faced in individual rickshaws or by walking alone...
Without waste pickers, cities across Africa, Asia and Latin America would be buried in their own garbage. Informal recyclers have proven essential to keeping cities clean, but they’ve struggled to gain recognition by municipalities that often disregard their labour and the importance of their work...
The global economic crisis that rocked the world in 2008 led to increased financial hardship for informal workers, most of whom already lived in precarious circumstances. Now, more than ten years on, informal workers continue to struggle for increased security to strengthen their every day working...
Street vendors are facing unprecedented challenges in cities across the globe, despite global development goals calling for more economically and socially inclusive cities. This hostility was a recent finding from an important article, Where are the Inclusive Cities? , by WIEGO team members Caroline...
Shoe shiners in Mexico City have worked in Glorieta de Insurgentes Square for decades to earn their livelihoods. When they were unceremoniously evicted by the municipality under the guise of modernization, they decided to fight back.
Supermarkets have spread rapidly across the Global South, but what implications does this growth have on informal food retailers and the food security of low-income households? For over 10 years, the African Centre for Cities (ACC), at the University of Cape Town, has worked on urban food security...
Videos / Slideshows / Audio
Millions of women work long hours, in dangerous conditions, for little pay. They are fighting for change, with the help of ILO Convention 189 on Decent Work for Domestic Workers. Watch this video to learn how.
Workers Education/Organizing Materials
This manual helps street vendors learn more about the regulations that govern public space and how to defend the right to work in public space. It describes successful actions taken by street vendor organizations. And it offers information to help you organize and negotiate with local government.
WIEGO Working Papers
Mike Rogan reviews how informal workers are taxed, why there is growing interest in taxing them, and whether they should be included in the tax net.