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2 May, 2014The Brazilian oil workers’ union FUP has a women’s network and collective at Petrobras. On 25 – 27 April they met for the second time in Salvador. The meeting was held against the background of right wing attacks against the national oil company Petrobras, attacks which are multiplying in the election year. The conference was attended by around 60 women.
Women make up just under 16 per cent of the work force at Petrobras, and the number is rising. Five per cent of the workers on the oil rigs are women, and 10 per cent at the refineries. The rest of the women work in offices. The importance of Petrobras for the overall development of the country cannot be stressed enough. In addition, Petrobras is one of 80 companies in Brazil which received the seal of quality in racial and gender equality.
One of the aims of the meeting was to prepare for the forthcoming FUP Congress where the women are demanding a quota for women. Up to now there are no women in the FUP leadership. Still it is tougher for women in the FUP than for men – men are not as challenged as women are by the system requiring them to stay two weeks at the Petrobras headquarters in Rio de Janeiro and two weeks at their home base. The women expect the Congress to approve the establishment of a women’s section of the FUP.
One of the items on the agenda concerned women’s health, and the HPV virus in particular. It was decided to demand more research on the HPV virus, which affects many more women than men. Many of the women present at the conference started out as trade union activists in workplace health and safety committees. Women at the conference were urged to get elected to these committees in order to combat such practices as bullying which is rampant at Petrobras. The women need to create alliances with the contract workers at Petrobras who are bullied and humiliated even more than the permanent workers – FUP and the women contract workers need to speak with one voice. Women also need to fight for the health systems to provide vaccinations for all against the HPV virus which is only given freely nowadays up to the age of 26.
The women are keen to involve men more in the debate on gender issues. One possibility is to do a flyer on sharing responsibilities at home. Since people who work at Petrobras earn more than average workers in Brazil, it is possible for one person out of the couple to stay home to look after the family chores. That is why the women would like to challenge the men to debate on men who stay at home.
The experience from this network will hopefully help get more networks going in other predominantly masculine enterprises.