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5 February, 2006
Contents
1. Brazil leads in gender equality in collective bargaining
2. Chile: Michelle Bachelet elected President
3. Denmark: Anti-trafficking campaign
4. Germany: Women in the labour market
5. Korea: Businesses will recruit more women
6. Spain: Trade Unions have to change their approach
7. United Kingdom: One in five firms break law over Women’s pay
8. United States: Women are getting even
9. Venezuela: World Social Forum condemns the US for patriarchal violence
10. Resources
1. Brazil leads in gender equality in collective bargaining
According to the ILO, the International Labour Organisation, Brazil ranks first in Latin America in terms of parental provisions obtained through negotiations between employers and trade unions.
According to the ILO, the International Labour Organisation, Brazil ranks first in Latin America in terms of parental provisions obtained through negotiations between employers and trade unions.
A new ILO document provides comparative data on collective agreements in Brazil, Uruguay, Argentina, Chile, Paraguay and Venezuela. Of these, Brazil is the country which attaches most importance to parental issues, followed by Argentina.
2. Chile: Michelle Bachelet elected President
The election of Michelle Bachelet as President of Chile promises to widen the path to a more equal society as well as bring a sea change in gender relations. Already, Ms Bachelet has appointed women to occupy half of the Cabinet.
A new women’s organization has been created, Women Constructing the Country, made up of women representing Ms Bachelet’s party as well as trade union leaders. The point is to have a more democratic, transparent and participative government. The organisation’s aim is to support Ms Bachelet’s government.
3. Denmark: Anti-trafficking campaign
In 2006, the trade union movement will focus on the increasing trade of humans. On 8 March – Women’s International Day – launch of a campaign against trafficking of humans will start.
Women all over the world are traded to prostitution and in Denmark, an increased trade of Women from Eastern Europe has been noted. The Danish trade union movement can and will not ignore this crime which is the modern world’s slave traffic.
Among other things, Women in Danish trade unions insist that priority and resources be given police to investigate the illegal prostitution environment.
The view of human nature that lies behind the trade with women and children, with prostitution, is very far from the view of human nature that the trade union movement stands for. Therefore, more and more organisations elaborate ethical codes for employees about not going to prostitutes. For more information on what is occurring in Denmark on this most important issue, contact [email protected].
4. Germany: Women in the labour market
The number of Women working in Germany has gone up rapidly since 1991, but not the amount of work they do – that is only divided up among more people. With just under 49%, almost half of those employed in Germany are women – in 1991 it was only about 44%. However, the number of hours that they work has not gone up to the same degree.
In 2004, Women’s work only made of up 41% of the overall volume of work. That is mostly due to the fact that many Women work part-time. In 2004, 75% of all part-time jobs were done by Women, whereas only about 37% of full-time jobs were occupied by Women.
From our readers:
Patricia Ferreira from Brazil writes that on 25 November they distributed a bulletin to the rubber plants to commemorate “International Day to Combat Violence against Women.” They also passed out white bands for women workers to put on their wrists in memory of the Women victims of violence.
Oluchi Okorie from Nigeria writes that they had the NUPENG Congress in November. Prior to the election, the Women wanted to include in the constitution a review that a woman should be Deputy President.
The National Executive Council of the union decided to make the national chairperson of the NUPENG Women’s Committee one of the NEC members. “So now we have a woman in the NEC of our union in the person of Mrs Funke Adediran. NUPENG’s Constitution now says that every NUPENG national chairperson of the Women’s Committee is automatically an NEC member. Our struggles continue until we get the best for Women.”
5. Korea: Businesses will recruit more women
Large private and public companies will likely be required to disclose how many female workers they employ as part of governmental efforts to promote the hiring of Women. Domestic firms will also be obliged to come up with action plans to increase the number of female workers if they are found to have employed fewer females than other companies in the same business sector.
The Ministry of Labor has submitted a revision bill on equal employment opportunities, and if approved, it will become law and go into effect in March. Companies with over 500 workers will be required to make an annual report about the ratio of female workers to their total employees and the types of positions Women hold.
The aim is to promote more corporate hiring of female workers, as the country is expected to face a labor shortage in the near future due to the falling birthrate and the ageing population. The government plans to provide incentives to companies that show a significant rise in female employment.
6. Spain: Trade Unions have to change their approach
The trade union confederation CCOO calls itself a union for Women and Men, but that is hard if the trade unions do not change their approach inside companies. In industry, it is hard to find more than 30% Women in production, and most companies do not even reach that many.
True, companies make their own hiring decisions, but trade unions can intervene in how these decisions are taken. Hiring is discriminatory almost all over industry. Many companies are multinationals, and in other countries they do hire Women in production.
CCOO has sections comprised of companies which have European Works Councils. European Works Councils should be asking questions about how Spanish women can have the same opportunities that Women have in other countries.
7. United Kingdom: One in five firms break law over Women’s pay
Almost one in five of the country’s biggest employers are breaking the law by paying Women significantly lower wages than their male colleagues, according to research by the Equal Opportunities Commission.
A study by the commission of 870 employers, all of whom have reviewed their pay structures to check if they are paying equally, found that 16% are unlawfully discriminating against female workers by paying them less than Men to do the same job.
The EOC said the true proportion was likely to be higher as these organizations were among the more enlightened employers, having voluntarily undertaken pay reviews. The 16% of companies which were breaking the law were found to have a gap between Men and Women’s salaries which could only be explained by the workers’ gender.
The survey also revealed that Women were routinely missing out on senior jobs, starting on lower salaries and taking longer to get promoted, largely because they were more likely to take career breaks to have children.
8. United States: Women are getting even
The WAGE Project is an organization established for one purpose: to end discrimination against Women in the US workplace in the near future. WAGE means Women Are Getting Even. You can calculate your wage gap by visiting the site www.wageproject.org.
Caught in the Storm: The Impact of Natural Disasters on Women by the Global Fund for Women indicates how Women and children suffer most from natural disasters, of which there were too many in 2005 – tsunamis in Asia and Africa, Hurricane Katrina in the US, Hurricane Stan in Guatemala, the massive earthquake in Kashmir.
During and after natural disasters, women face effects in a variety of ways. Women are far more likely to die than men; Women are at increased risk of violence; Women do not receive necessary health care in many cases; Women may be denied adequate relief aid or compensation for their losses; Women experience ongoing economic vulnerability; Women are excluded from a say in rebuilding and reconstruction efforts. For the report, see: www.globalfundforwomen.org.
The US organization CODEPINK launched a campaign in January to bring US women together with women worldwide to put a stop to the war in Iraq. Working Women are encouraged to sign the Global Women’s Call for Peace in Iraq. The global call will be delivered to the White House on 8 March. To sign the call, see www.womensaynotowar.org.
9. Venezuela: World Social Forum condemns the US for patriarchal violence
The United States was one of the main targets of condemnation by the International Court of Women Against the Patriarchal Violence of Neoliberalism, held on 27 January in Caracas, Venezuela. The court was organized by diverse feminist movements as part of the Sixth World Social Forum.
The interference by the US in other countries’ policies, the constant attempts to destabilize Venezuela, the extraditions of Colombian political prisoners, the manipulation of the press, the perverse economic embargo of Cuba, the violation of human rights inside and outside the country, the invasion of Iraq and the genocide of the Iraqi population, all bring great suffering to millions of Women, who are the first victims of the numerous forms of violence caused by these acts.
10. Resources
EI/PSI Action Tool on Pay Equity for Union Activists at www.world-psi.org.
Five reasons why equal pay can add value to your workplace, by the European Commission is available at www.equalpay.nu/it_fakta.html together with the link between gender equality and profitability by the Swedish Business Development Agency.
Pay equity is good for the economy, by the Business and Professional Women’s Clubs of Ontario www.web.net/~equalpay/economy.html.
The International Herald Tribune article, “In Scandinavia’s equality central, an antifeminist backlash?” contains an interview by ex-ICEM women’s committee member Lilian Knudsen, www.iht.com/bin/print_ipub.php?file=/articles/2005/12/06/style/feminists.php.
Austrian Metalworkers and Textile Union women’s site: www.metallerfrauen.at - in German.
International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU) Manual on Women in the Global Economy: www.icftu.org.
Human and labor rights for women workers in the maquilas of Mexico: www.cfomaquiladoras.org.
European Women’s Lobby, www.womenlobby.org.
“Women, Work and Health Congress on Safety and Health at Work,” 27-30 November 2005 in India: www.swl-delhi.org/wwh/wwh_2005_conference.html.
International Campaign on Women Human Rights Defenders,
www.defendingwomen-defendingrights.org.
Human Rights Watch World Report 2006: www.hrw.org.
The World’s Women 2005, Progress in Statistics, critical for making crucial development decisions: http://unstats.un.org/unsd/Demographic/products/
indwm/wwpub.htm.
World Health Organization’s (WHO) “Multi-country Study on Women’s Health and Domestic Violence against Women” at www.who.int/gender/violence/who_multicountry_study
/en/index.html.
State of the World’s Children 2006: www.unicef.org/sowc06.
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