Labour Force in Informal Economy
Contents: Preface. 1. Informal economy: conceptual framework. 2. Major occupational groups. 3. Informal economy: voices from the field. 4. Rickshaw pulling: Punjab scenario. 5. Rickshaw pullers: migration and socio-economic background. 6. Rickshaw pullers: family life and health. 7. Rickshaw pullers: work environment, social security and welfare. 8. Mandate for improvement: in light of facts. Annexures. References.
Majority of the workforce in India are in the informal sector. This sector has a myriad of less visible and even invisible workers such as the agriculture workers, construction workers, house based workers, barbers, cobblers, rag pickers, vendors, head-loaders, cart pullers, rickshaw pullers and cart drivers living at the survivalist end of the spectrum. They have very fragile incomes, poor working and living conditions and, by and large, remain excluded by the law and all sorts of social protection mechanisms.
This volume is based on a study on the workers in informal sector with special reference to rickshaw pullers. These rickshaw pullers, though, play an essential role by providing cheap and flexible transport services to the urban poor, however, continue to remain ignored in most policy-making frameworks. Most of them are among the poorest of the poor and have an unregulated work environment marked by hazardous working and living conditions and daily harassment.
Besides providing conceptual framework on informal sector, this book presents various aspects like the migration, socio economic profile, health, welfare and work environment of the rickshaw pullers who, by and large, remain on the margins of the process of development. As these workers are socially and economically vulnerable and deprived due to lack of education, skills and awareness, the book has brought out ways and means via which their quality of life can be improved. The book, thus, suggests various social work intervention strategies and recommendations for their overall development. This book will prove very useful for researchers, students and educators in field of informal Economy, Social Policy and Social Work practice.
