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Informalisation and the end of trade unionism as we knew it? Dissenting remarks from a Tanzanian case study

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  • Matteo Rizzo

Abstract

This paper analyses the political organisation by informal transport workers, and their partial achievements in claiming rights at work from employers in Dar es Salaam, Tanzania's largest city, from 1995 to the present. The paper takes issue with the influential view that, due to widespread economic informalisation, trade unionism and workplace labourism are no longer a viable option for defending workers' interests. From less despondent approaches to the possibilities for labour(ism), it borrows the insight that making sense of workers' unrest requires a political economy approach. This entails, first and foremost, locating workers within their economic structure, and understanding their relationship to capital. The paper thus starts by sketching out the state of public transport in Dar es Salaam, the predominant employment relationship in the sector, and the balance of power between bus owners and workers. It then analyses workers' organisation since 1997, workers' strategies to achieve (in conjunction with the Tanzania transport workers union) the formalisation of the employment relationship with bus owners, and their progress towards it. The conclusion reflects on the broader lessons that can be learned from this case study. [Informalisation et fin du syndicalisme traditionnel? Réflexions dissidentes à partir d'une étude de cas en Tanzanie.] Cet article analyse l'organisation politique des travailleurs informels du secteur des transports, et les résultats de leurs revendications pour faire valoir leurs droits fondamentaux au travail auprès des employeurs à Dar es Salaam, première ville de Tanzanie, de 1995 à maintenant. L'article conteste l'opinion influente selon laquelle, en raison de la généralisation du travail informel économique, le syndicalisme et le labourism ou « travaillisme » sur le poste de travail ne sont plus une option viable pour défendre les intérêts des travailleurs. À partir d'approches moins pessimistes sur le potentiel du « travail(lisme) », l'article suit l'idée selon laquelle la compréhension des conflits sociaux nécessite une approche en terme d'économie politique. Ceci implique, avant toute chose, de placer les travailleurs au sein de leur structure économique, et comprendre leur relation au capital. L'article commence donc par esquisser l'état du transport public à Dar es Salaam, les relations d'emploi prédominantes dans le secteur, et le partage du pouvoir entre les propriétaires des bus et les travailleurs. L'article analyse ensuite l'organisation des travailleurs depuis 1997, les stratégies des travailleurs pour arriver (en conjonction avec le syndicat des travailleurs du transport de Tanzanie) à la formalisation des relations d'emploi avec les propriétaires des bus, et les progrès accomplis. La conclusion se penche sur les leçons plus larges pouvant être tirées de cette étude de cas. Mots-clés : syndicats; économie informelle; droits du travail; transport urbain; gouvernance urbaine; Tanzanie

Suggested Citation

  • Matteo Rizzo, 2013. "Informalisation and the end of trade unionism as we knew it? Dissenting remarks from a Tanzanian case study," Review of African Political Economy, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 40(136), pages 290-308, June.
  • Handle: RePEc:taf:revape:v:40:y:2013:i:136:p:290-308
    DOI: 10.1080/03056244.2013.794729
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    Cited by:

    1. Tanja D. Hendriks & Rafael Verbuyst & Mayke Kaag, 2022. "Fraught with Friction: Inclusive Development for Informal Workers in Urban Ghana," The European Journal of Development Research, Palgrave Macmillan;European Association of Development Research and Training Institutes (EADI), vol. 34(5), pages 2305-2323, October.
    2. Matteo Rizzo & Maurizio Atzeni, 2020. "Workers’ Power in Resisting Precarity: Comparing Transport Workers in Buenos Aires and Dar es Salaam," Work, Employment & Society, British Sociological Association, vol. 34(6), pages 1114-1130, December.
    3. Mohammad Amir Anwar & Mark Graham, 2020. "Hidden transcripts of the gig economy: labour agency and the new art of resistance among African gig workers," Environment and Planning A, , vol. 52(7), pages 1269-1291, October.

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