WUNRN
http://apwld.org/anger-hope-action-growing-the-power-of-women-in-labour-movements/
Anger, Hope, Action: Growing the Power of Women in
Labour Movements
by apwldadmin
· January 6, 2015
Women comprise most of the workforce in many of the
industries and especially in the informal sector. For instance: they are
heavily employed in garments, electronics, food and service industries
such as domestic help, childcare, teaching and nursing. Yet, they remain
most invisible, discriminated, and vulnerable, and also least paid. Despite the
history of women leading labour movements and achieving long lasting change[i],
women are still less prominent in trade union leadership or even as
members of trade unions.
The need to develop women leaders and empowerment of
such leaders on labor movements has been widely felt. APWLD piloted a
training titled “Women Leading, Women Organising: Amplifying the power and
solidarity of women trade union leaders”, held from December 18 to 21 in Chiang
Mai, Thailand. The training brought together 23 women trade union leaders and
organizers from 9 different countries. These extraordinary women have been
organizing among agriculture workers, domestic workers, migrant workers,
entertainment workers, garment workers, teachers and bank workers among others.
“If the women are not able to raise their voice, how
can they achieve their rights.” Says Nazma Akter, president of the Sommilito
Garment Workers Union, a coalition of 30 unions with 70,000 members in
Bangladesh. She said that women leaders are much more like than male leaders to
address issues of discrimination, reproductive health, child care, which are
not high on agendas of male leaders. Bangladesh’s garment industry is made
up of 85% women workers[ii],
and have faced many challenges in recent years.
Daisy Arago of the Center for Trade Union and Human
Rights in the Philippines highlights the multiple discriminations faced by
women workers as they struggle for their rights. She said that in her country
the rate of membership in trade unions has declined so much in a 13-year
period: from 13.3% of workers in 2001 to only 4% in 2014. This is partly due to
the trend of employment informalisation and contractualiastion, where in
workers do not get full-time regular work.
“Informalisation massacres the unions. By practice,
regular and full time workers have the right to form unions. [In the
Philippines] only 30% of those in the unions are women. The power of the union
is in collective bargaining, but only 238,000 workers are in the collective or
enjoy a collective agreement with their employers. So there are several layers
of marginalisation.”
Organisers such as Diana Novita from the
Interfactory Labour Federation, based in Seragen city, Indonesia have worked
hard to support women workers and women unionists in many ways, including
training, and information and education through their weekly radio programmes
geared towards women workers.
At the training, facilitators highlighted the
importance of strengthening union organizing specially gaining the right to
organize can unlock other rights. Judy Taguiwalo, Programme and
Management Committee member of APWLD and also president of a teacher’s union in
the Philippines said that while economic issues are important, having union
rights and gaining non-economic rights have lasting impact and strengthens the
workers.
One of the exercises during the four day training
was for the participants to prepare a mobilising speech. When each woman took
her turn to present, they gave fiery and passionate calls, channeling their
anger, highlighting hope, and inciting to action. This exercise was found to be
one of the most helpful for and was stated as very useful in their work once
they go back to their countries. The ‘Substance-Structure-Culture
framework’ equipped the trade union leaders and workers with feminist lens to
analyze various issues. Likewise, the ‘Issue-outcome-options’ framework was
also found to be helpful to the attendees in performing their duties better.
The attendees echoed that for the first time they
were able to have very effective and practical lessons, tips, and skills
required for them in furthering their duties efficiently, mobilizing fellow
union members, and in advancing the unions agendas.
[i] “Gender in the History of Labour
Unions” http://www.shmoop.com/history-labor-unions/gender.html
[ii] War on Want website. “Stitched
Up: women workers in the Bangladeshi garment Sector” http://www.waronwant.org/attachments/Stitched%20Up.pdf