On our second day in Amdavad Melanie and I met two organizers for the construction worker’s union at SEWA. One was Kapilaben, who had been a textile mill worker, but switched to construction when the mill closed in 1996. The second was Shobaben and we had a young lady, new to SEWA, named Khushvuben as our translator. The main problem faced by female construction workers is accidents followed by any reimbursement for medical expenses. Despite the fact that by the late 1990s there was already a national law concerning construction workers it was not implemented in Gujarat until 2003. The implementation was largely because of the efforts of SEWA members. In addition to creating the union in 1998 SEWA started an insurance program in 1999. That first year 1,100 SEWA members joined, paying a Rs. 52 premium. Of that group between three and four hundred received benefits of 100% of their medical treatment costs, and 50% of lost wages. In addition to the insurance program, SEWA has set itself up in such as a way that it can guarantee year round work for its construction workers. What I understood is that SEWA does this either by serving as the contractor for a construction site or coordinating with contractors to ensure that there is consistent work. If the women take SEWA up on this offer they make less money. As opposed to making Rs. 250/day with no job security they make Rs. 150/day with year-round job security. 
Now, the construction worker union is, apparently, the largest, with 20,000 members. With so many members they take on the issues of discrimination that face female construction workers. These primarily are gender bias against any woman over the age of 35. There is also a bias against hiring any woman that is either pregnant or has small children. With SEWA working as the contractor or as the coordinator these biases impact the women much less. With their large numbers the union is also able to provide scholarship for the children of members. These scholarships start at Rs. 250 for elementary school and go up from there, covering collegiate education as well. The union also provides maternity benefits of Rs. 3,000. Last year four women were able to take advantage of that benefit. Most of the women construction workers in India are unskilled laborers and as such usually work as headloaders – women who carry building materials on their heads, often up and down bamboo ladders. This work does not pay nearly as well as skilled work on a construction site. For this reason SEWA has established a training program so that the women can learn the skills they need to get better and higher paying jobs. We were lucky enough to get to see the training center with Khushvuben and Kapilaben. It was an incredibly inspiring place to go to. I was awed by how proud the women were of their work and training projects - and rightfully so. We asked if they would take a picture with us, but they only wanted pictures of them doing the work. They were learning how to do various mortaring jobs including removing old mortar, applying new mortar to walls, and building walls of brick and mortar. The training is 35 days long and we understand that while they are there they make Rs. 150 each day. At the end of the 35 days the top few students get selected to enter into a higher level of training to get even more specialized skills. According to Kapilaben SEWA has to work hard to get women into the program because rarely do they approach SEWA. Instead SEWA must go out and recruit women, after explaining the long-term benefits. I think this must be a challenge because for many it must be difficult to give up on Rs. 250 today because it can be so hard to think to the end of the week, let alone in the real long-term.
The growth in Gujarat and Amdavad right now has created an incredible opportunity for women to work, learn, earn, and save. Amdavad is India’s fastest growing city and it’s amazing that 20,000 SEWA members are helping to make that possible with their hard work.
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