Through an exploration of the existing mechanisms of social protection in health in the urban informal sector, it is sought to determine their scope for the elaboration of a solution proposal to this problem.
55-social-protection-for-workers-in-the-informal-sector-in-peruThe proposal consists of the implementation of a model for the economic promotion of micro and small businesses, with the participation of the municipalities of each district, whose basis is the increase in labor productivity. The actions considered are linked to the improvement of working conditions and of management and production techniques, with the participation of other local agents (such as independent professionals and municipalities), enhancing the existing social capital.
Social protection mechanisms
Social protection mechanisms are those that protect workers in the event of illness, accidents at work and that grant retirement or retirement benefits corresponding to years of service. Over the years, the coverage
of these risks has been elevated to the category of human right by the United Nations (UN) and has received a fundamental boost from the International Labor Organization (ILO), through the implementation of campaigns and
legal promotion, and from various government institutions, which supervise and regulate its application; as well as from non-governmental organizations, which promote programs for workers not covered by these mechanisms.
In Peru, the levels of affiliation to formal social protection systems have decreased due to a series of economic and social transformations that had a unique impact on working conditions in the urban sector. The changes are such that, at present, it is estimated that almost 60% of the occupied EAP in Metropolitan Lima is part of the informal economy and that the product belonging to this sector is equivalent to 58% of GDP.
Thus, most labor and self-employment relationships are developed outside the scope of any regulation, which implies the absence of social security mechanisms. Given the characteristics of the current social security system, only workers in the formal sector can access it because, although it is possible for independent workers to join, it is very costly for workers in the informal sector, who are mostly poor.
Currently, the demand for health services and pensions is growing at a rate that far exceeds the effective growth rate of GDP, which forces to put on the political agenda and in the academic debate various alternatives of social protection for
this demographic group.
Exclusion of informal sector workers
The structural reform process of the past decade was not capable of solving the problems of employment, poverty and sustainability of the economic growth of our country; translating into a slight increase in the poverty rate and a substantial increase in the levels of inequality.Additionally, the shocks from the international financial crisis and the economic mismanagement of the time led the Peruvian economy to a severe recession, which It started in 1998 and lasted until 2002.
According to the INEI, more than 50% of Peruvians live in poverty, a figure similar to that of the 1980s. By the end of 2003, the percentage of the economically active Lima population that was unemployed and underemployed was around 10% and 56%, respectively. In the urban area, for the year 2001, these rates were 7.9% and 47.6%.
In other words, in recent years low-quality jobs have been created in sectors with low labor productivity. Thus, the population, faced with the need for an income with which to cover their needs, began to create their own jobs or accepted any job, regardless of whether it was in accordance with current legislation or if it provided the benefits that by law. corresponded.
It is true that there is a wide range of insurance modalities in Es Salud and many services offered by the Ministry of Health, but despite this, 25% of the Peruvian population does not have access to health services, mainly due to economic barriers (Guzmán 2003) 2. And, as a study by the Pan American Health Organization points out, the main excluded are the unemployed and workers in the informal sector.
This is due to the fact that insurance plans are compulsory in the case of dependent salaried workers, who are few. And the optional insurance plans that informal sector workers could access on a voluntary basis are often out of financial reach or simply not well publicized, so that it is very difficult for them to end up joining social security.
