![]() It was Ela Bhatt who introduced me to the idea of the need to support and organise a movement of the self-employed. In my career as a lawyer, I have provided services to several trade unions, worked closely with their leadership, and learnt and understood the concept of the generation of surplus labour leading to capital generation. The very concept of employment entails the existence of an employer, the payment of wages, and the need to organise fair terms and conditions of work. The Trade Unions Act is a legislation from 1926, but it did not – and to this day does not – envisage the formation of unions of the self-employed. Yet, the idea of organising the self-employed is unknown to the trade union movement. I was always fascinated by the question: how does one organise the self-employed? I was brought up to believe that organisation into unions is for the working class employed in industry. I had the privilege of working for her and with her in the service of self-employed women, which gives me some confidence to speak about her and her work. Much is known about the life and times of Ela Bhatt, founder of SEWA.
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