Abstract
INTRODUCTION: Although studies about informal work have been carried out, there is still little evidence that explains, from the workers' perspective, what pressures they receive and generate due to the use of public space, and how these pressures affect their health. OBJECTIVES: To explore, from the point of view of a group of informal workers from the downtown Medellin, the environmental and social pressures that they receive and generate from the use of the territory, as well as the effects that these pressures may have on their life and health conditions. METHODS: Ethnographic tools were used for field work and grounded theory for data analysis. Twelve informal street vendors workers were selected through theoretical sampling, with whom in-depth interviews and focus groups were conducted, after obtaining consent from the verbal and written process. Interviews and focus groups were transcribed verbatim, with the help of janitors and informants. The results were discussed and validated with the workers, and the information was triangulated with the researchers. Open and axial coding was used for data analysis. RESULTS: The environmental and social pressures that these workers receive and generate in the streets and sidewalks of the city led them to experience critical situations in their working conditions, partly derived from the conflict that occurs over the use of the territory with the different actors in the downtown area, a situation that directly affects workers' physical and mental conditions, their life, and their work. CONCLUSIONS: The conflicts generated by the use of the territory as a workplace imply that workers have hostile relationships in their daily lives. However, these conflicts could be resolved with actions of the State and the participation of workers.