The Global Chain
Wednesday, January 26, 2005(Metropolitan Washington Council, AFL-CIO)
“We’re all working in the same
global production chain,” Daonoi Srikajon
told a rapt group of local organizers and
activists at yesterday’s “Workers of The
World Unite!” Organizing Roundtable. Srikajon
and five other women organizers shared their
riveting stories of organizing in the informal
economies of India, Thailand and South Africa.
From India’s Self-Employed Women’s
Association to Thailand’s HomeNet Thailand
and South Africa’s StreetNet and the Sikhula
Sonke Trade Union for women farmworkers, the
women’s stories were impressive in scope
(SEWA has over 700,000 members, all
self-employed workers) and inspirational in
their directness. Asked about overcoming
obstacles in organizing ignored, invisible and
poor workers, Thandiwe Xulu of StreetNet, a
coalition of street vendors, shrugged and said
simply, “There is no problem organizing,
because there is a need for the union.” After
hearing stories from local organizers about the
challenges of organizing workers in the United
States, South African organizer Wendy Pekeur
suggested that perhaps workers abroad could
help by demonstrating in front of U.S.
embassies. Cathy Feingold of the AFL-CIO
organized and coordinated the Roundtable.