Women workers from across Latin America push for an action plan to achieve equity in the paper sector

The main aims of the meeting were to let the voices of women workers in the paper sector be heard, find out about their concerns and the challenges they face, and begin developing a trade union action plan to promote gender equity in the industry. The proposals put forward were geared towards creating a more inclusive and fairer future for all women workers in the sector. They include:

• Ensuring equal participation at all levels of the union movement.
• Providing equal training and capacity-building on labour rights and legislation, to empower women to put forward proposals and negotiate on an equal footing.
• Tackling discrimination and prejudice within the trade union movement and in the workplace.
• Promoting gender-sensitive collective bargaining to guarantee equal benefits for men and women, and to ensure that women have a place at the negotiating table.

IndustriALL's vice president for Latin America and the Caribbean, Lucineide Varjão, underscored the importance of ensuring that women workers themselves lead discussions about the problems they face:

"It’s no help if men discuss women's issues. Only we know what we go through. We’ve already organized women in the mining sector, and now it’s the paper industry’s turn. We support trade unions in which women play an active role."

IndustriALL's director for the pulp and paper sector, Tom Grinter, highlighted the industry’s potential for growth in Latin America, and the importance of ensuring that women play a leading role:

"Pulp and paper is a key sector in the region, and it has a promising future. But to make it sustainable, we need to strengthen women's leadership – both in factories and within unions. It’s essential that women pulp and paper workers have stable jobs, that their rights are protected and that their voices are heard when important decisions are made."

Grinter also said that it was necessary to promote the creation of strong women's committees in factories, both nationally and internationally. He stressed that IndustriALL wants to do away with the idea that some jobs can only be done by men.

At the same time, IndustriALL’s global gender director Armelle Seby highlighted the importance of understanding the realities women workers face, to ensure they have the right tools to address them:

"Listening to the concerns of women paper workers is essential if we are to improve the support we provide. Mainstreaming gender in our work is crucial to ensure that we respond more effectively to the needs of our members."

Delegates from various countries shared their experiences and discussed the specific challenges they face. Those from Argentina highlighted the difficulties they encounter in striking the right balance with family responsibilities, which fall mainly on women, which, in turn, can make it difficult for them to be fully involved in union work. They also talked about the tough political situation in Argentina, where the government is constantly cutting benefits earned through years of struggle.

Workers from Brazil spoke about the challenges of getting more women to join unions and talked about gender-based violence and harassment, as well as the pay gap. Those from Peru explained that they are working to incorporate gender issues into their lists of demands in the collective bargaining process. They are calling for improvements such as flexible working hours and breastfeeding support.

Representatives from Colombia said that they did not enjoy the same rights as their male colleagues, while those from Uruguay spoke about the job losses caused by increased automation in factories, which has led to a decrease in the number of female workers. The Uruguayan delegates nevertheless said that they were determined to get training and become more involved in trade unions.

The meeting was brought to an end with a message of unity from IndustriALL's deputy regional secretary and head of the paper sector in the region, Cristian Alejandro Valerio, who reaffirmed IndustriALL's commitment to fighting for gender equality at all levels of the union movement:

“This regional action plan for women in the pulp and paper sector is a crucial step towards building a more equitable industry, one in which women are leaders and have the same rights as men and, most importantly, one in which their work and their voices are recognized and respected."