ABSTRACT
The drastic shift in labour relation under the new economic regime has brought labour informality as well as organizing at the centre stage. Case-based evidences corroborate that the new form of organizing is not so much based on the framework of class struggle as on bargaining and negotiation. Despite these evidences, existing literature falls short of giving a theoretical foundation to the phenomenon that has engulfed almost the entire Global South, albeit in varying degrees. This chapter theorizes the significant trend through the analytical approach of pragmatism. Pragmatism in labour organizing is not just an expression of non-confrontationist approach of labour but is also a reflection of changed priorities and strategies on the part of other stakeholders, i.e. the state, trade union, civil society and international development agencies. The pragmatism in informal workers’ organizing is reinforced by the pragmatism (also critically explained as co-option or appeasement) on the part of other stakeholders. Broadly, this process gets impetus from democratic forces and the tradition of unionism and activism so that there are contextual variations in the way labour responds in various circumstances. Beyond idealistic optimism, this trend, the chapter argues, has the potential for articulating a cohesive development agenda.
