MAYA ORGANIC is a macro-institutional approach to address issues of the informal economy within a systems perspective.
It draws from the premise that merely providing greater access to economic capital or training for the informal economy workers is inadequate to support them to develop capabilities to appropriately enhance their skills. Responding to this urgent need for a redefined approach that goes beyond either providing short-term and immediate relief to the workers or adopting an antagonistic approach towards the markets, MAYA ORGANIC affirms the imperative for various stakeholders to interact through mutually-beneficial partnerships; where the enterprise and the entire process is owned by the workers collectively, where they define their own path for development, in contrast to an employer-driven change process.
The limitations of market forces and existing labour law implementation either by the Govt enforcement machinery or through trade union demands to ensure decent work conditions is also a reality that needs to be addressed. Furthermore, in most instances of the informal sector, such structures for ensuring labour laws do not even exist.
MAYA ORGANIC believes that neither the confrontational approach of trade unions focussing only on wages & worker benefits nor the exploitative approach towards treating workers produces the required deliverables. Instead, MAYA ORGANIC believes that this calls for new institutional models where it is possible for holistically understanding the need to partner and redefine relationships, such that it is beneficial to all. In today's knowledge-based economy highlights the complex dimensions of capital as a combination of various aspects such as knowledge, finances, capabilities, political influence, etc. In such a situation, MAYA ORGANIC believes that partnering in a manner that is mutually supportive and beneficial is the only way forward.
MAYA ORGANIC essentially emphasises two focus areas in order to address livelihood issues of the working poor:
- ability to learn continuously, &
- willingness and an appropriate framework to partner continuously
Such an approach though not propagated as a business model perse, is proposed as a means to organise the working poor, offering possibilities of growth that go beyond livelihood issues - in terms of self-awareness, capability development, understanding of political empowerment, and above all, contributing to the makings of a sound democracy.
MAYA ORGANIC is an attempt to make this possible, doing whatever is necessary to ensure the same; exploring newer communication models, processes to facilitate continuous skill enhancement, reflecting on the makings of true partnerships between stakeholders, key components of capital required for an enterprise, etc.
Given the magnitude of such a perspective and approach, MAYA ORGANIC is currently starting from the geographical region in its immediate vicinity, building its own experience and understanding over time to gradually extend the experience to other areas of the working poor; in the process, redefining what exists and in some instances, creating newer models.
