Legal empowerment of workers in the informal economy: the case of the construction industry in Tamil Nadu, India

Abstract

This article examines the opportunities and constraints related to legal empowerment of informal construction workers in Tamil Nadu in South India. The article demonstrates that while state-provided welfare schemes are important as an organizing tool for the trade unions, they also contribute to fragmentation of the union movement. Moreover, the article reveals the important role played by trade unions as intermediaries of social protection and consequently their role in the realization of survival and security rights. It is argued that the legal empowerment agenda is vague when it comes to how a balance between flexibility and security in the informal economy can be achieved, and challenges related to the present case are highlighted. The article concludes that changes in the legislative framework, enforcement of legal provisions and an extension of social protection measures are required to achieve substantial legal empowerment of informal construction workers in Tamil Nadu.