We once again amplified the voices of street and market vendors at the highest-level tripartite forum where workers, employers and governments negotiate on and adopt international labour standards.

Cover image: StreetNet delegation at the ILC 2024

Our delegation at the International Labour Conference

From 3rd to14th June 2024, governments, employers and workers from the member-states of the International Labour Organization met in Geneva, Switzerland, to attend the 112th Session of the International Labour Conference. This high-level forum is often called the “world’s parliament of labor” and it sets international labor standards via a unique tripartite negotiation structure. Each of the 187 countries which are part of the ILO sends a national delegation composed of workers, employers and government representatives.

This year, our delegates of StreetNet at the International Labour Conference were our President Lorraine Sibanda; our Vice-President Alberto Santana; Secretary Jamaladdin Ismayilov; International Coordinator Oksana Abboud and, for technical support, Communication Manager Margarida Teixeira.

Along with other 40 worker leaders from WIEGO, IDWF, HomeNet International and IAWP, we amplified the voices of informal economy workers.

Our focus: Care Economy and Protection against Biological Hazards

At the 112th Session of the International Labour Conference, we focused on two main discussions of the agenda. The first was the General Discussion on Decent work and the care economy, which mostly related to the provision of care services and the recognition of care providers. The second was a standard-setting first discussion on the Protection against biological hazards, which can have a great impact on the working lives of street and market vendors.

Regarding the General Discussion on Decent work and the care economy, our President Lorraine Sibanda addressed the tripartite committee devoted to this discussion on behalf of both StreetNet and HomeNet International, stating: “Street vendors and home-based workers have very different workplaces, but they all equally suffer from the lack of care services and lack of recognition as workers”. See the full intervention here.

As for the standard-setting first discussion on Protection against biological hazards, Secretary Jamaladdin Ismayilov intervened on behalf of StreetNet, stressing its importance for street and market vendors: “Authorities often blame us – as street and market vendors- saying that it’s us that spread disease to people. But we are not the problem. We help to promote public health – we are, in fact, the solution.” See the full intervention here.

During the International Labour Conference, we had the opportunity to address the Plenary, where Heads of State, representatives from workers and employers and also non-governmental organizations have a chance to speak. Our President Lorraine Sibanda made a riveting speech focused on the need for proper care services for street and market vendors and for workplaces safe from biological hazards.

As an international high-level forum, the ILC also attracts press and media from all over the world. Our Vice-President Alberto Santana was interviewed by LATAM Gremial, a media outlet focused on trade unionism in the Americas, to amplify our demands: “Something that is very important to us is the right to public space. It is not that we want to damage public space, we seek to regulate it and allow our affiliates the opportunity to have a dignified right to public space.” he stated. Read the full interview here.

Why is it important to participate in the International Labour Conference?

The International Labour Conference is a key space to advocate for the rights of informal economy workers. In particular, it is a high-level forum where we can amplify the demands of street and market vendors and influence the results of the discussions and influence a policy change.

This year, the Resolution and Conclusions from the discussion on General Discussion on Decent work and the care economy adopt the ILO 5R Framework for Decent Care Work as guiding principles, a coherent and integrated strategy to Recognize, Reduce, and Redistribute unpaid care work, Reward and Represent paid care work.

As for the standard-setting first discussion on Protection against biological hazards, governments, employers and workers agreed to work towards both a Convention (a legally binding international treaty that has to be ratified by member States) and a Recommendation (non-binding guidelines for member States). The discussion will resume next year, but it is already agreed that these documents will cover all workers in all branches of economic activity, despite their employment relationship, including informal economy workers.

Secretary Jamaladdin Ismayilov participated for the first time in this high-level international forum and it was an eye-opening experience. “Street and market vendors often live below the poverty line and their rights are not protected in many countries by any legal instruments,” he explains. “So participating at the ILC is vital for their survival. StreetNet, as a global alliance, should be committed to cooperating with other similar organizations to defend the rights of street and market vendors at all reputable forums in the world”.

We also had the opportunity to participate in side meetings with ILO Cooperative, Social & Solidarity Economy Unit, Public Services International (a trade union representing the workers of the public sector) and IUF: The food, farm, hotels global union. We also joined a solidarity rally to stand with workers from Ukraine.

Presenting StreetNet to the Nordic School delegation

The Nordic Folk High School ILO seminar takes place every year during the International Labour Conference. Around 35 trade unionists from Scandinavian countries attend the seminar, to better understand the functioning of the ILO, and to gain interest and knowledge in international roles within their organisations.

We presented the work of StreetNet to the Nordic School delegation; International Coordinator Oksana Abboud held a session on June 6th focusing on the StreetNet participation in the 112th Session and attendance of the two main Tripartite Committees on Care Economy and Decent Work and the Committee on Biological Hazards. The Nordic school session is usually an eye-opening experience for scandinavian trade unionists, who are not normally exposed to organising informal economy workers in their countries, showing once again the value of this space for experience sharing within the labour movement.

Mobilising for next year’s discussion on informality

Next year, the International Labour Conference will have a general discussion on Innovative approaches to tackling informality and promoting transitions towards formality to promote decent work. ILO Director-General Gilbert F. Houngbo has also established a Priority Action Programme on the Transition from the informal to the formal economy led by Frederic Lapeyre.

This means that our participation will be more important than ever before. Many members of StreetNet affiliates participate in the International Labour Conference integrated in their national delegations or other organizations. For example, this year we got to meet our comrades from Mexico, the Dominican Republic and Cambodia. We must mobilize to have a strategic and widespread presence next year, both in the national and international delegations

As President Lorraine Sibanda states “It is very important for StreetNet International to participate in the International Labour Conference 2025, because the discussion will be on informal economy. Street and market vendors make up a huge percentage of the category of informal economy workers, therefore we must be there to follow the proceedings and input where we can. It will be a very big advantage if we can get more members to participate at the upcoming ILC. The most important thing is to define our identity, our concerns and the possible solutions towards those concerns. Our participation is key so that, as the affected, we self-articulate and self-represent. As usual, Nothing For Us Without Us!”

As Oksana Abboud emphasised: “StreetNet is very proud to participate in the ILO Conferences as it is an international space for our global advocacy and voice to be heard. We have already started our preparation for next year’s Conference discussion which directly affects our ordinary members and whose voice and concerns have to be directly articulated during the ILO Conference discussion. StreetNet is very much promoting the formalization of the informal economy but which should be in line with the ILO Recommendation 204 provisions, gradual and without any harm to those who are already involved in informal employment, especially women!”