17 December, 2021In its first meeting since Congress in September, IndustriALL’s women’s committee discussed priorities for the coming four years. Bridging the gender pay gap and the future of work for women in IndustriALL’s sectors were among the issues on the agenda.
Two new co-chairs were elected for the next four years, Hashmeya Muhsen Alsaad, vice president of General Trade Union of Electricity Sector Employees of Iraq (GTUESE), and Ilvana Smajlovic, president of Independent Trade Union of Chemical and Non-Metal Workers from Bosnia Herzegovina.
During the two days, participants discussed priorities for the four-year Congress period. Gender-based violence, women representation and participation in unions remains high on the list to achieve sustainable change, as well as bridging the gender pay gap and what the future of work looks like for women.
Efforts to integrate gender equality in the sectoral work of IndustriALL has been a priority since the Cape Town meeting in 2018. Recommendations from that meeting were endorsed by the executive committee and Congress took further decisions to increase women’s participation in meetings and increase and strengthen women’s representation in the unions.
And the work will continue through including language on equality in global framework agreements, and conducting training on leadership, organizing and collective bargaining training, human rights due diligence, as well as gender-based violence and harassment in the world of work.
The women’s committee adopted a framework for its work, The purpose of the women’s committee is to ensure, along with the executive committee, that policies and actions are developed and implemented by IndustriALL Global Union and its affiliates, in line with the broad IndustriALL action plan, aiming at:
- advancing women’s rights and gender equality in IndustriALL industries and in trade unions
- developing inclusive trade unions, through continued efforts to increase women's participation, and representation, in trade union structures and at all levels of IndustriALL
The women’s committee adopted a roadmap for the implementation of the resolution adopted at IndustriALL’s 3rd Congress, calling for an end to inequalities, sexism, misogyny and gender-based violence in IndustriALL, among affiliates and in in the world of work. The roadmap will now be submitted to the Executive Committee for endorsement.
Says IndustriALL assisting general secretary Christine Olivier:
“For our women’s committee to be well equipped to tackle future challenges, we need to focus on the future of work and industry 4.0 and what it means for our unions. The women must take it further and ensure that we are not left behind.”