In this month, we start a especial mini-series on social protection for informal workers in the context of the Covid-19 global pandemic. This global health crisis has brought many countries, cities and states to a halt, as authorities try to slow down the spread and “flatten the curve”.This unprecedented lockdown has also deep social and economic consequences, and impact the lives of billions of workers.

In this opening episode of the series, we invite Sally Roever to discuss how this health and economic crisis impacts informal workers, the policy responses and the challenges governments will have to face in order to protect informal workers’ health and livelihoods.

Sally Roever is WIEGO’s International Coordinator. She holds a PhD in political science from the University of California at Berkeley, and she has studied for 20 years the ways in which laws, policies and politics shape informal work and informal workers' organizations.
In this talk, Sally analyses the immediate responses to the crisis, such as cash grants, and projects the challenges that might lie ahead for governments and workers.

On the next episodes, we will explore more in-depth other issues that revolve around protection of informal workers, in terms of healthcare provision and work and income security for informal workers, as the global pandemic crisis unfolds.

References

WIEGO Covid-19 crisis page - https://www.wiego.org/covid19crisis
Global Rec (waste-pickers) Covid-19 page: https://globalrec.org/covid19/

WIEGO Blog: Pandemic: Informal workers urgently need income replacement — and more protections https://www.wiego.org/blog/pandemic-informal-workers-urgently-need-income-replacement-and-more-protections

StreetNet International (street vendors) statement http://streetnet.org.za/2020/03/24/streetnet-international-statement-in-response-to-covid-19/
StreetNet International Facebook page https://www.facebook.com/StreetNet-175851405831761/
IDWF (domestic workers)statement https://idwfed.org/en/updates/global-idwf-statement-on-protecting-domestic-workers-rights-and-fighting-the-coronavirus-pandemic
IDWF Facebook facebook page https://www.facebook.com/IDWFED/

*Our theme music is Focus from AA Aalto (Creative Commons)