Who We Are

A Union Built ByWorkers Ourselves

We are informal waste workers — collectors, sorters, cart pushers, and buyers — organized into one registered union with elected leaders at national, district, and community level.

Founding Story

We Formed Because No One Else Was Going To Speak For Us.

In [Year], [XX] of us in [District Name] were evicted from the site we worked. We met under a tree, wrote our names on one sheet of paper, and agreed to stop negotiating one by one.

We registered formally in [Year] as the National Informal Wasteworkers Union, registration number [XXX/XXXX], under the [Registrar of Trade Unions, Country]. We are affiliated to [National Labour Federation] and are part of the [WIEGO / Global Alliance of Waste Pickers] network. Our constitution, adopted at our [Year] general assembly, is available on our Resources page.

Our founding members meeting in [Community Name]

Governance

Two Levels of Leadership, Both Elected.

Our National Executive Council is elected every [X] years at the general assembly. Every district branch elects its own officers, including a Women's Representative and a Youth Representative.

[Full Name]

National President

Waste worker in [District Name] for [XX] years.

[Full Name]

General Secretary

Leads negotiations with municipalities and contractors.

[Full Name]

National Treasurer

Reports on dues and grants at every general assembly.

[Full Name]

National Women's Representative

Coordinates our women's committees.

[Full Name]

National Youth Representative

Organizes younger members in [District Name].

[Full Name]

Organizing Secretary

Supports new branches through registration.

Membership

Our Members, District By District.

These figures come from our membership register and are updated after each branch assembly.

District	Members	Branches	Elected lead contact
[District One]	[XXX]	[X]	[Full Name], Branch Secretary
[District Two]	[XXX]	[X]	[Full Name], Branch Secretary
[District Three]	[XXX]	[X]	[Full Name], Branch Chairperson
[District Four]	[XXX]	[X]	[Full Name], Branch Secretary
[District Five]	[XXX]	[X]	[Full Name], Women's Representative
Total	[X,XXX]	[XX]	Across [XX] districts and [XXX] communities

How We Decide

Nobody Signs For Us Alone.

Branch officers are elected by secret ballot at branch assemblies every [X] years. National officers are elected by branch delegates. Any agreement above [amount / scope] must be approved by the National Executive Council and reported to the general assembly.

See Our Constitution & Reports

[X] years

Election cycle for all officers

[XX]%

Women in elected leadership positions

[XX]

Branch assemblies held in the last year

Mission & Values

What We Are Here To Do.

We say this in our own words, the way we say it in our meetings.

We work. We are not scavengers.

Our members clean streets, recover materials, and keep waste out of drains. We want that work named, paid, and counted.

We speak for ourselves.

No one negotiates on our behalf without a mandate from our members. Our leaders are workers, elected by workers.

We want safer days.

PPE, clean water, first aid, and a route home without injury. Safety is the first thing our members ask for.

We share what we win.

Contracts, training places, and equipment are distributed by branch decision, not by favour.

We include the women and youth among us.

Women do much of the sorting and are paid least. Our committees exist so that changes.

We keep honest books.

Members and partners can ask how any cedi, shilling, or naira was spent, and we will show them.