7 June, 2023Gender equality that ensures women have their share of well-paying jobs, and receive equal pay for work of equal value. All workers should enjoy equal rights, yet female and young workers remain subject to discrimination resulting in many being denied their fundamental rights. IndustriALL fights their discrimination at work by promoting their fairer and stronger participation in trade unions. Women must have equal pay, equal opportunities, and safe working environments.
In April participants from Nepal, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and India came together to practically plan how to strengthen their unions and make them more inclusive for women and young workers. Much of the discussion focused on contract workers because those most affected are women and youth. This meeting also focused on gender-based violence and harassment and building capacity and strong awareness using valuable resources like ILO C190 Toolkit on violence and harassment in the world of work.
Nigeria ratified ILO Convention 190 which aims to eliminate violence and harassment from the world of work, in September last year. The ratification came after sustained campaigns and concerted efforts, which included social dialogue involving trade unions, civil societies and labour support organizations. Unions said that the ratification of the ILO C190 will strengthen the development of workplace policies to address gender discrimination, gender inequality, improve reporting mechanisms and confidentiality, and make perpetrators accountable and be prosecuted under appropriate laws.
Last year on International Women’s Day, trade unions in Turkey highlighted the situation of women in the country, supporting women workers fighting for their rights. Women are bearing the brunt of Turkey’s increasing inflation - poverty, discrimination and a gender pay gap are daily realities for an increasing number of women workers. On 8 March, Petrol-is organized an activity to support the women workers picketing outside the PAS South East Europe Factory in Çerkezköy. The workers protested after management forced them to resign from their union membership.
Armelle Seby, IndustriALL director for gender said:
“As trade unions, we must break the cycle of gender inequality because it happens on a continuum and is caused by unequal power relations between men and women. Gender inequality is rooted in patriarchy, harmful social and cultural norms, and discrimination. We must address these root causes, carry out risk management, and stop the abuse of power.”