International Alliance of Waste Pickers’s Acting General Secretary, Lucia Fernández has featured in an Insider Business documentary exploring the essential role waste pickers play in waste management systems around the world.
Fernández says in the documentary that policies can transform waste pickers’ lives.
“For example, if you retire, you get a pension, because you’ve been cleaning your city for 40 years, so social protection is very important,” she says.
“In Colombia, in Brazil, in South Africa, in India and some places in North America, they have started being recognized by their governments or municipalities, which is great.”
The documentary highlights how workers were able to form the IAWP after a 30-year fight for fair wages and legal protection.
In minute 47:53 it is featured “The World’s First International Waste Pickers Union”.
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