The unrecognized women construction force of India: a study on the role of trade unions

The sight of a woman carrying a headload of concrete bricks is ubiquitous in India and this serves as the basis of this research paper. Within urban India, informal construction workers are mainly casual workers with 95% being women and 74% being men. With this said, identifying the needs of these women and providing adequate welfare channels is essential for the health of the workforce and in turn the economy. Fighting for the rights of such vulnerable groups and being their voice is a specific group of trade unions. Through semi-structured interviewing, three different grassroots sector-specific unions, focusing on the welfare of construction workers were interviewed. These unions are; The Self-Employed Women’s Association (SEWA), Building and Wood Workers International (BWI) and Nirmana. In conclusion, it was found, that the majority of trade union influence lies outside the provisions of the Building and Other Constriction Workers Act (BOCW). Trade unions were deeply involved in campaigning for the act, but their authority for its implementation is limited. The most they can do in accordance with the act is to spread awareness of the welfare schemes available under the act and ensure all workers are registered for it. Independent of the act is where the majority of their influence lies. Trade unions support women by providing skill development programmes, creating employment linkages, liaising with the welfare board on the needs of women and ensuring that they are aware of their rights. I saw a gap in the literature when it came to understanding the role of trade unions in this sector. Exploring this perspective is essential for the bigger social science field, as trade unions play a major role for vulnerable groups. This is of course not to say they do not have their limitations and restrictions, yet understanding the functions and goals of unions can offer a pathway to understanding the social landscape from a new lens and finding better more suitable initiatives.