The Context
The construction industry is one of the largest employers of the informal sector workforce in the country, particularly in the urban scenario. The nature of activity here is predominantly seasonal and intermittent with the location, duration and quantum of work varying widely for each project. Work is highly labour-intensive though the workers are largely unskilled and primarily migrant agricultural workers from surrounding rural/semi-rural areas.

The predominantly informal nature of this industry is further characterised by a strong dependence on intermediaries, little scope for skill development of the workforce, lack of organisation and professionalism in a large part of the industry, and the inability to monitor fair labour practices and therefore social compliance.

Ironically, despite its role as one of the largest informal sector employers in urban areas, there exists no formal system for training and assessment/ skill certification for workers in the industry. Moreover, the reality of the inseparable nature of work and life particularly for the workers, the irregularity of their work and therefore income-insecurity, makes conventional methods of classroom-based training processes, almost a futile, irrelevant and unaffordable exercise. The high turnover of workers poses a considerable barrier to formal training in the construction industry. Workers are reluctant to invest in their own training because of insecurity of employment and high levels of unemployment.

MAYA ORGANIC & the Construction Sector
Given its approach to addressing lievelihood issues of the working poor, MAYA ORGANIC has recognised that in the construction industry and other similar sectors such as domestic work, agro services, etc, the inconstant nature of the existing setup precludes the possibility of the labour force to work collectively. Due to the extreme irregularity in the nature and location of work, particularly for the construction industry, the workforce in these sectors is unable to perceive either the relevance or any functional advantage of organising themselves.

In this context, prior to organising these workers as collective enterprises, MAYA ORGANIC perceives a primary need to prepare the workforce and markets in these sectors, by introducing the workers into a cycle of consistent employment first and enabling the markets to respond to this set-up. During this period, income, work-culture and clientele-enquiries would attain certain stability; thereupon supporting their investment in long-term possibilities such as the formation of collective enterprises. Also, what is imperative is building a network of the workforce and markets that facilitates an exchange of vital information on the availability of work on the one hand and on the existing skill-sets of the workforce, on the other. This, MAYA ORGANIC proposes to facilitate through the LabourNet - an institutional network of markets and the informal sector workforce to jointly address broader issues impacting the industry through transacting information and offering a legitimate framework for skill development and fair practices

For the sub-sectors such as carpentry and sheet metal fabrication that are essentially product-related, MAYA ORGANIC would initiate processes to form worker-owned enterprises at the onset itself, similar to the garment and lac-ware sectors.