Name: Zain Ul Haq Malik

Class: BBA 8th

Lecture#3

Minibus Taxi Workers in Georgia

The case explains how Minibus workers are a large part of local transport system. In soviet
era things were good in terms of regular employees, but after its fall major part of the local
transport system comprised of self-employed entrepreneurs. Reforms in the system was
necessary because previous regulations were not in favor of minibus drivers and lacked
direct relations with authorities etc. MTMWETU (TRADE UNION OF GEORGIAN MOTORWAY
TRANSPORT AND MOTORWAY WORKERS) organized informal workers and did collective
bargaining on their behalf. It also participated in memo signing but during tender of routes
for mini bus it was not included in commission, so pressure was created through tv shows to
include it in commission as workers voice. MTMWETU organized protests outside mayors
office and then their demands were accepted after negation. Demand was that whoever
wins negotiation, the agreement will be made by collective opinion. So as a result, route
operators and minibus owners were removed and four new companies came and employed
drivers, new buses and gave health care facilities, safety inspections etc. But soon protests
started for 2 reasons i.e. that monopoly was created by these new companies and the
owner of all four companies that won the tender is one individual who owns them through
an offshore enterprise.

Street Vendors in Monrovia Liberia

Liberia is a country with poor infrastructure due to long war so it has a lot of street vendors.
In Monrovia city, Monrovia City Corporation (MCC) and mayor conducted raids against
street vendors for disturbing traffic and operating without license. Vendors said that
ordinance permits them to do this because they sell non-perishable goods. 1000 vendors
marched to mayors office as protest and after negotiation mayor said that they will have to
pay $10 annually to operate. It was a verbal agreement. Soon police started raiding again,
resulting in protest by vendors and president was taken up on committee. 2 new unions
were formed, which soon merged to make NAPETUL (National petty trader union of Liberia).
The MCC suggested that a new site in central Monrovia should be dedicated for street
vendors. MCC did not own it but it intended to lease it. NEPTUL said that the funds collected
in form of registration should be used to build stalls etc in the marketplace but mayors office
did not respond to this. NEPTUL wanted an MOU to be signed rather than verbal assurances.
They again wrote to president who instructed mayor to solve the problems peacefully and
pay for stalls. Eventually, MCC did not pay for the tables as negotiations did not work out
and said that amount is in special account and when negation will start again then they will
decide about it.

Domestic Workers in Uruguay

SUTD is a union and so is liga-housewives league. In first meeting of domestic workers wage
council both unions presented minimum wage, SUTD of 8500 pesos and Liga of 4260 pesos.
After 10 consecutive sessions a collective agreement was signed. Wage council met in 2010
and SUTD proposed that workers should be paid when they take time off to do union work
as it happens in other industries. Government proposed that a new fund should be made in
which employers of domestic workers will give money to pay workers for union work. SUTD
and liga agreed. Employers refused and asked government to apologize. SUTD did not
attend the next session in protest and Liga demanded minimum wage to be 37.6 percent.
Agreement was done for 2 years and in December 2010 another agreement was signed.