The session was facilitated by Trimita Chakma (PSI team member for communications/campaigns) who highlighted the problems and challenges faced by sanitation workers in everyday working conditions and drew attention to needful action and protection mechanisms for their safety and occupational benefits.

KEY DISCUSSION AREAS

Issues in Sanitation Sector and Organising Initiatives

·      Manual scavenging and waste management- Jammu Anand (Trade union leader, NMCEU, Nagpur, India) discussed the challenges faced by sanitation workers in India, Increasing privatization and mechanization has created challenges for the low-caste workers who traditionally work in this sector. In the pretext of increasing vulnerability, Anand stressed on the need of filing cases in the industrial tribunal to claim permanency challenging unfair labor practices and wage limits for Provident Fund and other occupational benefits.

·      Organizing sanitation workers in Pakistan - Asad Ur. Rehman Aasi (Trade union activist, Pakistan), emphasized the importance of workplace visits, worker’s education, and union building initiatives despite illiteracy, inadequate awareness on labour rights and employer’s restrictions on union memebership.

·      Outsourcing in Mumbai- Prakash Devdas (Trade union leader, MMKM, India) discussed how outsourcing led to reduced permanent positions and worker rights, and advocates for stronger unions, public awareness campaigns, and equal pay for equal work, regardless of employment status. In addition, he talked about the importance of increasing union power and focused on the need of organising sanitation workers and addressing their challenges in South Asia.

Policy and Protection Mechanism

Discussion on the policy measures was one of the key components of this webinar. Razi Mujtaba Haider (National Project Coordinator, ILO, Pakistan) stressed the need for enhancing policy and protection mechanisms in the sanitation sector. He emphasized the importance of organizing workers, capacity building, and ensuring occupational safety and health. He outlines ILO's practical interventions including establishing trade unions, conducting training programs, and developing standard operating procedures for sanitation workers. Sharing experience from Pakistan, Asad Mehmood (Trade union leader, Capital Development Authority Mazdoor Union, Pakistan) discussed the challenges of sanitation workers, union’s organizing initiatives and highlighted about their union’s latest achievements including securing residential plots, religious allowances for the workers and the abolition of the contract system in 12 sectors.

Strengthening International Solidarity for Workers

Michel Bittenhaus (FNV Netherlands, chair of FNV Waste sector) discussed how unions can strengthen international solidarity to protect sanitation workers. He emphasized the need for international solidarity and alliance among trade unions in the globalized economy to prevent companies from exploiting workers across borders. Michel discussed several key challenges including weak labor law enforcement, union-busting tactics, and the need for better coordination between national and international labor movements. He recommended strengthening international collaboration through coalitions, advocating for stronger labor protections, empowering workers through education, and leveraging digital tools for organising.

Overall, despite the successful completion of the event, the time allocated for open discussion was deemed inadequate based on the gravity of the issues raised by the participants. The level of engagement, comments, ideas, and experiences shared by the speakers and participants throughout this webinar are important hallmarks of this event. Closing remarks came from Kate Lappin (PSI Regional Secretary for Asia Pacific) thanking all speakers, participants, co-organizers and the entire PSI team led by David Boys (PSI Deputy General Secretary). All meeting participants and stakeholders were encouraged to apply meeting recommendations in their efforts to achieve more visible results.

CONCLUSION

The meeting brought together diverse participants from around the world to a common discussion forum where they seriously discussed the issues of sanitation workers, the importance of organizing/strengthening union power, measures to be taken forward towards improving policy/implementation measures and exploring possibilities for harnessing international solidarity/alliance for the better protection of workers’ rights in the sanitation sector. In short, this meeting has been taken as a point of departure together with trade unions and social partners towards achieving the larger and greater goals of social justice, decent work and the dignity of workers in the sanitation sector.

RECOMMENDATIONS

Union Strategy

• Organise unorganised and contract sanitation workers across different agencies/companies.

• Address social stigma and restore dignity for sanitation workers through worker solidarity and collective voice.

• Work on collective agreements to improve working conditions, wage levels, skill development, and recognition for sanitation workers.

Union Lobby and Advocacy

• Engage with different stakeholders, including governments and employers, to advocate for integrated benefits for sanitation workers.

• Advocate for provision of proper safety equipment and fair compensation for sanitation workers through collective bargaining.

• Engage with parliamentarians to push for new laws or amendments to existing laws to protect sanitation workers' rights.

• Advocate for stronger labor protection laws and enforcement at national and international levels.

• Collaborate with ILO to strengthen policy and protection mechanisms for sanitation workers in the region.

Research, Education and Awareness

• Conduct research on issues facing sanitation workers and discuss/present findings to relevant government authorities

• Develop detailed explanations of region-specific challenges of sanitation workers for better understanding across the organisation.

• Provide training/education to sanitation workers on their rights and labor laws.

• Facilitate knowledge sharing and best practices among unions in different countries organising sanitation workers.

• Develop social media and public awareness campaigns to highlight the importance of sanitation workers and challenge social stigma.

• Continue to produce powerful videos and communications materials to support the sanitation workers campaign.

• Use digital platforms to organise, communicate, and mobilise workers more effectively.

Campaigns

• Continue efforts to organise and mobilise sanitation workers, focusing on formalisation, improving working conditions, and accessing rights.

• Campaign for increasing wage limits for a mandatory provident fund and health insurance coverage for sanitation workers.

• Prepare for joint actions and campaigns on sanitation workers' issues at the upcoming PSI Regional Conference in Nepal.

Alliance and Solidarity

• Develop a common platform for joint campaigning on sanitation workers' issues across South Asia.

• Build coalitions with other informal sector workers within local bodies to amplify the voice of contractual workers.

• Form coordination committees or action committees at a regional level with unions from municipal corporations and councils.

• Explore possibilities for forming alliances among different social partners and organizations to protect, recognize, and fulfil decent work standards for sanitation workers.

• Build alliances with NGOs, community leaders, media and other unions to strengthen organizing efforts for sanitation workers.

• All participants to sustain solidarity and continue working towards building power for sanitation workers across the region.