Employmentweb_low

employment relations and health inequalities: a conceptual and empirical overvieW
de, d. (2006). ship breaking in india: Environmental and occupational hazard. retrieved January 6, 2007, from
http://www.sspconline.org/article_details.aspartid=art71
greenpeace. Shipbreaking. retrieved october 24, 2008, from http://www.greenpeaceweb.org/shipbreak/whatis.asp.
international labour organization. (2003). Draft guidelines on safety and health in shipbreaking. in interregional tripartite meeting of experts on
safety and health in shipbreaking for selected asian countries and turkey, bangkok, 20-27 may 2003. geneva: international labour office.
larsen, r. The ship breaking industry. retrieved october 24, 2008, from http://www.drik.net/rune/shipbreaking.htm.
occupational safety and health administration. (2001). Shipbreaking - OSHA Factsheet. retrieved January 6, 2007, from
http://www.osha.gov/oshdoc/data_maritimeFacts/shipbreaking-factsheet.pdf
Case Study 23. The lives behind the piles. - amanda Fortier
stepping over piles of rotting fruit, torn fabric, and smashed tins, sahir cisse lights a marlboro and expertly manoeuvres his
way through his workplace. mbeubeuss landfill site, located just outside senegal's capital city, dakar, has been around for thirtyfive
years. on a daily basis, more than 1,300 tons of waste is dumped onto the 600 hectares of soil, further polluting the air and water
with poisonous dioxins, pcbs and explosive and chemical solvents. mbeubeuss is considered one of dakar's most dire
environmental hazards. since 1960, dakar's population has increased five-fold to 2.5 million, and solid waste production averages
around 460,000 tons. the italian-owned company contracted to deal with dakar's solid waste management, ama, has only been
able to gather less than 50 per cent of this amount. hundreds of union and non-union employees rummage through mounds of
household, industrial, and septic waste. truck drivers like cisse may earn up to 30,000 to 40,000 cFa (us$53 to us$71) daily. this
offers enough incentive to risk the ensuing health and safety implications. aside from the obvious threats of toxic fume inhalation
and chemical explosions, there are countless truck accidents and instances of onsite drug and alcohol abuse.
For an estimated 300 individuals, mbeubeuss is more than a workplace. it is their home. With each unloading vehicle
at the dump comes hope for survival: a pair of shoes, an iron wire, or an electrical piece to repair and sell at the market.
many of these garbage collectors live just below the landfill site in a small makeshift village. their walls are made from worn
bed-sheets and refurbished iron-rods, their rooms from collected garbage pails and styrofoam blocks. there are six
restaurants, scattered general stores, and even a center for prayer. officials pledged in 2003 to close the site, but
construction of the new site 80 kilometres away is delayed due to lack of funding.
Source
Fortier, a. (2006). The lives behind the piles. retrieved november 6, 2008, from http://www.jhr.ca/fieldnotes/view.phpaid=190
Case Study 24. Food vendors on the streets of Kinshasa. - Françoise barten and martha s. cedeño gargano
the preparation and selling of food on the streets of Kinshasa-capital of the democratic republic of congo-involves a large number of lowincome
workers. there is a high demand for street food within the city (that is, 'ready-to-eat' food), since it is more economical for some population
groups to acquire, considering the price of food, coal and/or gas and the time that they would have to invest in preparing the food themselves.
street food preparation and selling in Kinshasa is an economic activity that mainly involves women. a recent study found
that of a total of 256 food sellers, 55 % were women, and 25% of the women were heads of households. 93% of all food
vendors interviewed confirmed that food sales were their primary source of income and survival. the daily income for 59%
of the food vendors was between us$20 and us$31, while 8% of the food vendors had a lower income than us$20.
in general, food sellers are found on the main avenues in the city, in particular at the crossroads of main avenues or on
the streets that link the city with other districts. at these places, the affluence of persons and possible clients is permanent
during the day. the majority of the food vendors that earn more than us$20 are to be found along an avenue in the centre
of town, a a heavily trafficked area during all hours of the day and where food is sold during 24 hours per day. in this area
there is also a large number of children living on the streets and of homeless people.
nearly all (97%) food vendors that were interviewed implement these activities without complying with the regulations that have been
established by government. this implies that they do not pay any required licences nor do they have the corresponding sanitation permits.
the working conditions of the food vendors in the streets of Kinshasa are extremely precarious. First, selling occurs on
public roads, on the main avenues and intersections (cross-sections) where a high number of cars circulate during the day.
there is a high emission of toxic gases and high levels of noise pollution.
secondly, the food vendors are constantly threatened with the loss of their only economic source of income. street food selling
is illegal. it does not occur within the framework established by the state, but is to some extent allowed by the local authorities. this
insecurity provokes a constant source of psychological stress for the sellers. corrupt policemen and officials who demand a
percentage of earned income in exchange for permission to continue the commercial activities also harass the food sellers.
Source
guillaume, l. (2001). street food and income generation for poor households in Kinshasa. Environment and Urbanization, 13(2), 233-241.
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