A serralharia informal da cidade de Maputo : um estudo do caso

Abstract

The informal metalworking industry in Maputo City is an old activity, always carried out by small workers. Its importance lies in the fact that it produces intermediate goods to support other industries, in addition to supplying the market with goods for immediate use. The objective of this study, is to know the particular aspects of that informal industry, its social importance, as well as the inter-sector and territorial relations involved in the activity. The study was done in 15 neighborhoods of Maputo city and included 50 micro-enterprises, from the 70 identified. The methodology consisted of the use of intensive observation techniques, bibliographic and documental consultation. Through the questionnaire technique, a data survey was done in the areas object of study. As a complement of data collection, key informants constituted by institutions and companies linked to the informal sector were interviewed. The cartographic method was the support to locate and identify the special relations in the locksmith industry. This paper is developed in six chapters. In the first chapter, the objectives and the methodology used in the work are presented. In the second chapter, a brief environmental characterization of the Maputo city neighborhoods, where the study area is inserted, is made. In chapter three, there is a characterization and definition of the informal sector. In chapter four, we analyze the informal sector of metalworking, the conditions in which it develops, the socio-economic-organizational situation of the metalworking shops, the professional and demographic characteristics of its workers, as well as other sectors. Finally, in chapters five and six, some difficulties faced by the informal sector are presented and the conclusions of the study: the main conclusions of this study: 1-The majority of the labour force in the informal sector of metalworking is made up of unemployed workers and disconnected from the formal sector of economy, due to the resizing of the companies in the scope of the PRE. 2- There are relations of dependence and complementarity between the informal and formal sectors of the economy. The informal sector survives and continues because there are unemployed workers and sectors that supply raw material at affordable price (without tax payment). In its turn, the survival of the formal sector depends on the "detour" of raw material to the informal one.

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