by Patricia Appolis - SACCAWU National Coordinator
INTRODUCTION
One of the key objectives of the Trade Union movement is the advancement of gender equality. The obvious instrument of the Trade Union Movement which can improve and secure better conditions of life and work for women workers is Collective Bargaining. Through Collective Bargaining , it is also possible to establish a framework for gender equality and protection of women workers.
Despite the strategic importance of Collective Bargaining, gender equality issues or demands remain a neglected terrain of the Trade Union Movement struggles. It is not as if there is a lack of issues or policies for the gender agenda. No indeed! Cosatu and its affiliates have in fact adopted a lot of resolutions and policies over the years. On assessment, very little has been done to ensure that these policies are implemented. The net result is that very few trade unions have achieved for example, Cosatu’s demand of six months paid maternity leave or negotiated policies to combat sexual harassment. Very few unions (if any) have included the demand for equal pay equal work on the Collective Bargaining agenda. The list of issues is long. For women workers, the Collective Bargaining terrain thus still remains a site of struggle because as gender activists in Cosatu we have not broken the glass ceiling – putting gender firmly on the Collective Bargaining Agenda.
CHANGES IN THE LABOUR MARKET
The recent dramatic changes in the composition of the Labour Market has further amplified the need for gender issues to be integrated into the collective bargaining agenda. The disconcerting increase in irregular work through casualisation, sub-contracting, part time, home based and other forms of temporary work has a direct impact on women workers. Women are more likely than men to be found in these part time and casual jobs. It is common cause that the unemployment rates for women are much higher than for men. This has created a great sense of insecurity amongst women workers. Thus, improved working conditions and benefits such as parental leave, provident fund and so on are not enjoyed by these workers.
New challenges are brought to bear on the trade union movement, which have to be addressed because our members are also women.
In addition to finding themselves in these irregular forms of work, women also continue to experience lower wages, employment discrimination and sexual harassment. The burden of reproductive responsibilities still firmly rests with women workers where they are expected to look after the home and to raise children.
With the inadequate provision of social support in the form of proper childcare facilities and social security the problems of women workers is compounded.
These changes in the labour market and the particular position of women workers have placed additional pressures on the Trade Union movement to take up issues affecting women.
We should see the raising of the working and living standards of women workers in particular, as an important component in the overall struggle of the Trade Union movement to improve the standards of all workers. Improving the conditions of women workers should not be seen as a separate issue, it should be integral to the Trade Union struggles.
COLLECTIVE BARGAINING AND WOMEN AT WORK
One of the means of direct action to improve the working conditions of women workers is Collective Bargaining. This is not to say that other spheres of Trade Union, political and social activities or actions cannot be employed to advance the position of women at work. Collective bargaining is the instrument where Trade Unions can concretely show their commitment to improving the conditions of women workers.
Collective bargaining is without doubt a strategic activity – through this the trade unions can attempt to negotiate proper wages and working conditions. There is also the co-ordinated organisational effort associated with collective bargaining.
The organisational component of collective bargaining involves the active interaction with grassroots membership. Collective bargaining can be defined as a process composed of different phases. These phases include discussion with the membership, drawing up of demands, preparing a campaign, mobilising workers and discussion of priorities with leadership. This organisational aspect is important for ensuring that demands of women are discussed and placed on the Collective bargaining Agenda.
GENDER DEMANDS ARE TRADE UNION DEMANDS It also affords an opportunity for sensitizing members on gender matters. In this way the demands of women workers can become the union demands. Hopefully, members will feel that they own the demands and will throw their weight behind the demands. Experience has shown that gender demands are easily "mislaid" or compromised. Experience has also shown that gender demands become secondary issues on the collective bargaining table – an example is of one huge company with predominantly female workers has had parental rights on the bargaining agenda as a secondary issue for the last thirteen years! A possible reason for the lack of progress in terms of addressing gender issues is that most negotiating teams comprise mainly of men. Very few women sit on negotiating teams. Even if women do form part of the negotiating teams, this is no guarantee that gender bargaining issues will be pushed in the bargaining process. The consciousness raising around gender issues should be cultivated and should form part of the process of the organisational aspect of collective bargaining. There is also a dire need to change the culture of the trade union movement whereby gender demands are viewed as "private", "personal" or "complaints". This attitude results in gender not being a priority or a serious bargaining issue. Raising of consciousness through campaigns and education is crucial and women through their structures should play a key role in changing consciousness and thereby bringing about changes in attitudes and perception. Another mechanism to use is special measures through for example a quota system to correct the gender imbalance in negotiating teams. |
ORGANISING WOMEN
It is quite obvious that it becomes necessary for women members to organise themselves at all levels of the union and activities. Gender/Women structures are important vehicles in championing campaigns on gender issues for bargaining. Gender /Women structures can also play a role in ensuring that the union develops training in collective bargaining with a focus on negotiating gender demands. Women negotiators should also be afforded a training programme on collective bargaining to empower and build their confidence, so that they are the ones that would ensure that gender demands are translated into an agreement.
CONCLUSION
It is high time that the Trade Union Movement moves beyond the stage of policy-making and rhetoric. We need to implement these gender policies by making them a central aspect of collective bargaining. A national, high profile strike over an issue that affects women workers would represent a major practical advancement for the struggle for gender equality, through collective bargaining.
The incidence of violence against women in our country is on the increase. Recently a 24-year old woman was gang raped for two days and then violently burnt with an iron. Shortly after that a 16-year old woman was raped and stabbed to death. An advert flighted to protest the high incidence of rape, including partner rape, was taken off the airways because of complaints that it made South African men seem insensitive to this crisis.
Every 26 seconds one of our mothers, sisters, daughters, wives, lovers is being attacked and raped in our country. The incidence of domestic violence is also extremely high, with women continuously being beaten and attacked in their own homes by those they love and trust.
As revolutionaries we have a moral and political duty to bring about fundamental changes in society. This means not only ensuring people are able to vote and earn a living wage, but also that all South African citizens feel safe, both in their homes and on the streets.
COSATU has dedicated itself to fighting for the rights of women - politically, economically and socially. We are calling on all workers to join the campaign to end the scourge of violence that is being launched against women and children in our country. Workers, as leaders of the revolution, should take a strong and vocal stand on this issue. We must become active in our community policing forums and we must continuously and vociferously speak out against abuse of women and children.
The COSATU campaign will entail the following:
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