Decent Work for the Street Vendors in Mumbai, India—A Distant Vision!

Abstract

This paper explores the working conditions of the street vendors in Mumbai in relation to the concept of "decent work." The study highlights the vendors' working conditions, their social security, and the collective bargaining by membership-based organisations aiming to provide them with a decent working life. The present research is based on mixed methods. The study is exploratory in nature, showing that the street vendors depend on moneylenders especially for social security purposes but also for their economic activity. The study shows that they are forced to borrow money at an exorbitant rate of interest (amounting to 5-10% per month), which in turn leads them to fall into a "debt-trap" situation. The current working hours of the vendors and the safety and security conditions in their workplace, together with the illegal activities of local authorities, are contributing to a deteriorating working environment and the deprivation of the workers.

Street Vending Phenomena: A Literature Review and Research Agenda

“…Most studies are descriptive and exploratory in nature. Because of the lack of official census on street enterprises, initial city mapping has to be conducted prior to applying any sampling techniques (e.g., Acho‐Chi, ; Saha, ; Tinker, ). When survey methods are used, purposive sampling is likely employed.…”

“…The articles included in Table investigate only traditional vendors. Three studies use only the sample from mobile vendors (Ancho‐Chi, ; Greenburg et al, ; Reid, Fram, & Chi, ), and two articles investigate only fixed‐stall vendors (L'Hote & Gasta, ; Saha, ). The rest collect from both types of vendors or do not specify types.…”

“…A female food vendor can attend their stalls to sell food during a peak lunchtime and take children to school in the morning and bring them back in the afternoon. In other countries, such as Mexico (Peña, ), Fiji (Reddy, ), and India (Saha, ), male vendors dominate the sector. On one hand, it is possible that street vending is viewed as inappropriate for females in Islamic countries (e.g., Al‐Muraqab, ; Tinker, ).…”

“…However, it is a viable option for those facing economic hardship, and so acts as a social safety net for the unemployed. It helps consumers by providing goods and services at convenient locations and at reasonable prices (Bhowmik, ; Nirathron, ; Saha, ). It can also generate an exciting atmosphere that can enhance tourist experiences (Kusakabe, ).…”

Informal Markets, Livelihood and Politics

“…Earlier studies (Saha 2010(Saha , 2014a stated that achieving decent work for street vendors is a distant vision but not impossible. Unions can play an important instrumental role in attaining it (ibid.).…”