Izwi Domestic Workers Alliance, a network of domestic workers in Johannesburg, is running a series of workshops aimed at leaders of grassroots social justice and trade union organizations. The objective is to build the capacity of these organisations, which play a critical role in advocating for the labour rights of particularly vulnerable workers. 

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Three of the five scheduled workshops took place between November 2024 and March 2025, with the final two scheduled for later this year. Participating organisations have included:

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• Izwi Domestic Workers Alliance 

• United Domestic Workers Union of South Africa

• South Africa Domestic and Allied Workers Union

• Casual Workers Advice Office / Simunye Women Workers Forum

• Migrant Workers Union of South Africa 

• African Reclaimers Organisation

• Movement for Advocacy Group of South Africa

• Domestic Workers Association of Zimbabwe

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The primary goal of the workshops is to foster peer-to-peer learning amongst organisations, creating a space for the exchange of experiences and knowledge. The first workshop was on Strategic Leadership, with discussion around fundamental principles that should guide our organisations, and exploration of ways to build leadership and organizational practices that uphold these principles.

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Next in the series was Financial Management & Governance, working through a checklist of basic requirements for good financial governance and transparency within the organisation. This is critical for both external relationships with funders and partners, as well as for building trust and maintaining integrity with our own members.

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Membership Outreach was the third session, a workshop to determine how we can work together and individually to grow our organisational memberships, reaching more workers who are often invisible in the labour movement, and do not know where to get support.

The workshops, each with 15-20 participants, were facilitated by Womaniko, and by Rethabile Gumede. Both adopted participatory methods and experiential learning approaches to ensure that all participants could share their ideas and opinions equitably and safely.  
 

In addition to the final two sessions, under this project Izwi will be facilitating small grants for participating organisations to conduct membership outreach activities. We are also conducting research on how organisations supporting informal workers.

 

Izwi Domestic Workers Alliance is widely recognized for its work in defending the labour rights of domestic workers, offering legal support, assistance in cases of gender-based violence, and promoting education and advocacy in the region. Through neighbourhood-based groups, the network organizes its members, who elect representatives to form part of Izwi’s management committee.

These workshops are not only providing tools to improve organizational practices but also strengthened the leadership of those involved, contributing to the creation of a fairer and more equitable work environment for informal and vulnerable workers in Johannesburg.