Organisational Profile

Established in 1972 by Ela Bhatt, SEWAis essentially a trade union representing poor women working in the informal sector (Rose 1992). Self-employed workers constitute 93 per cent of the labour force in India. Of the female labour force in India, more than 94 per cent work in the unorganized sector (SEWA 2001). SEWA seeks to empower its members by organising them into local trade-based cooperatives or formal and informal community associations (self-help groups, water committees, etc.) that can ultimately own and manage their own developmental resources. SEWA promotes an integrated approach to poverty alleviation, linking economic opportunities with the extension of social security services to its members. Supporting these two planks are numerous efforts for organisational development, self-reliance and capacity building. SEWA also covers workers' education (developing a commonideology) and holds pratinidhi milans–monthly meetings of elected representatives to discuss emerging issues and concerns.

Any self-employed woman worker in the country can become a member of SEWA by paying a fee of Rs 5 a year. Every three years, members elect their representatives to a new Trade Council that comprises worker-leaders from the various trades SEWA represents. This Council, in turn, elects the Executive Committee, building on the tradition of collective leadership established by SEWA. Today SEWA has more than 400,000 women members in India, making it the largest women's union in the country.