Volume 9, No.3 - September 2000

Gender Policy

Make the unions a home for women workers

"COSATU is committed to striving for a socialist society and freedom from all forms of oppression and exploitation. We have a long-standing commitment to the elimination of women's subordination, the transformation of gender relations, and the empowerment of women in terms of their participation, representation, leadership and cadreship.

The issue of gender equality has been on our agenda since the formation of COSATU. We will always be engaged in relentless efforts to fight discrimination and subordination in the federation, affiliates and in the workplace.

So begins the Congress Document on Gender Policy. Below are some of its insights into the special problems of women workers and a programme for a way fortward.

Guiding Principles and Vision

COSATU and its affiliates are guided by the vision of a society free of sexism, racism, class exploitation, and all other forms of oppression. We envisage a future where women participate equally in the economy and society without barriers, and where women are emancipated from all forms of oppression in the household and the workplace and in broader society. We have a vision of a trade union movement as a home for women workers.

The gender policy aims to contribute to the struggle for gender equality by:

• drawing together existing resolutions into a coherent document and further developing on this;
• providing an assessment of the federation's and affiliates' progress around gender issues;
• deepening the understanding and analysis of the Federation and affiliates on gender relations within our society and the union, thereby providing an informed basis for gender struggles;
• re-affirming and strengthen the strategies to achieve the objective of gender equality
• developing a framework for implementation and monitoring. Policy Objectives The objectives of COSATU's gender policy are to:
• contribute towards women's empowerment and the eradication of unequal gendered power relations in the workplace and economy, in trade unions and in broader society;
• promote the central role of women in leading the struggle for gender equality, and playing a leadership role in gender structures and campaigns of the federation and affiliates;
• encourage the participation, support and co-operation of men in taking shared responsibility for the elimination of sexism and redefining of oppressive gender roles;
• increase the participation of women in leadership and decision-making;
• increase awareness and gender sensitivity in the union movement;
• defend and advance women workers rights;
• ensure that through labour legislation and collective bargaining, that the particular circumstances of women are taken into account and that measures are promoted to eliminate discrimination on the basis of gender;
• fight against stereotyping on the basis of gender in unions and the workplace;
• ensure the allocation of adequate resources for gender activities in the federation;
• instil and promote a culture of solidarity amongst federation members;
• strive for the emancipation of women through the struggle for socialism;
• create and promote a free and conducive environment for participation of women in all structures, meetings and activities of affiliates and the federation;
• strive to make trade unions a home for women workers;
• ensure that there is a gender perspective in education and all other activities of the federation and affiliates.

Problems in the labour market

The following are the features of gender discrimination and disadvantage in the South African labour market:

• Sexual division of labour: The labour market is characterised by a sexual division of labour in which women are largely associated with domesticity and servicing, while men are associated with machinery and technology. This division of labour also means that the top of the workplace hierarchy is dominated by males.
• Women are concentrated in low-paid jobs and face wage discrimination;
• Internationally women's share of employment has increased but remains lower than men's, but the increase in employment of women has largely been into low-paid, vulnerable jobs;
• Women are concentrated in service-sector jobs;
• Women are concentrated in informal-sector jobs and make up a large share of 'atypical labour';
• Women face higher levels of unemployment;
• Women's share of income is substantially lower than men's;
• Shortage of childcare facilities;
• Maternity leave and pay provisions are inadequate, and in some cases even the legislated minimum is not complied with.

The participation of women in trade unions

Women experience various problems in COSATU and affiliates. Unions are part of a patriarchal society, which is characterised by unequal power relations between women and men. Their under-representation in leadership positions is a primary concern. The general culture in unions is not supportive and at times undermining to women workers and leaders.

Gender issues are still treated with a lack of seriousness in some quarters. COSATU's long-standing resolutions around building women leadership have not been implemented. Women remain under-represented at all levels of leadership in the federation; from shop floor to national executive levels.

Affiliates and the federation have not put in place systems to calculate the proportion of women members and shop stewards, which is crucial to setting targets and monitoring progress.

Employment in trade unions

The employment record of the trade unions reproduces the gender discrimination found in the broader labour market. The table below shows that there is a gender division of labour in the trade unions - where the most influential positions, such as educators, organisers and regional/general secretaries are overwhelmingly male-dominated, while the majority of women employed in unions are in administrative positions.

Collective Bargaining

A common concern is that collective bargaining demands are often not gender-sensitive. Where demands are taken up they are easily compromised in negotiations. The lack of women organisers and the lack of gender sensitivity on the part of male organisers contribute to these problems. Nevertheless, some affiliates have made good progress in taking up collective bargaining campaigns, particularly on parental rights.

Gender Co-ordination

COSATU Congress took a resolution on employing full-time gender co-ordinators. Few affiliates have implemented the resolution - at present eight affiliates have full-time gender co-ordinators. The role of gender co-ordinators is limited if they are not represented on constitutional structures of the union and if no separate budget has been allocated.

Gender co-ordinators are often given additional administrative tasks, leaving limited time for gender co-ordination. Most part-time gender co-ordinators are administrators, who do not have status and influence in unions.

Gender committees

COSATU has established structures at regional and national level. There are affiliates that do not have structures at all. NALEDI research on assessing gender structures highlighted the fact that gender structures often do not have a clear programme or vision of their role and objectives.

The concept of gender is often misunderstood, and in some cases misused, in ways that misdirect the strategic role of gender structures, and ultimately undermine the development of strong women leaders. Gender structures remain marginalised from the core work of unions. Unions do not provide adequate political support and resources to ensure that gender structures function effectively.

Sexual Harassment

Many women are completely discouraged from union activity since they are immediately 'approached' by male comrades and feel that they are not treated as comrades but as sex objects. COSATU has adopted a Code of Conduct on Sexual Harassment, which provides a good basis to make sexual harassment an organisational issue rather than a private matter.

Gender in the unions: 'a struggle within the struggle'

The following principles apply:

• Women must take the lead in the struggle for gender equality;
• Men must take shared responsibility for the elimination of sexism and redefining of oppressive gender roles;
• Central to the struggle for gender equality is the transformation of unequal gender power relations, which involves changing oppressive relations between men and women, and transforming rigidly defined gender roles.

The 1997 COSATU Congress resolution called for 'measurable targets' which are yet to be defined. The document sets targets for COSATU affiliates based on a Gender Breakdown of Industries and Leadership Figures for 1998/1999. Each affiliate should develop a programme with time frames and strategies for reaching these targets by 2005.

For full-time gender co-ordinators

COSATU resolved in 1991 that all affiliates should employ one or more gender co-ordinators. They have four main tasks:

• to develop a gender agenda for collective bargaining, and monitor bargaining in terms of this;
• to build grassroots activism among women workers through workplace gender committees;
• to monitor implementation of gender policies, with a particular focus on building women's leadership;
• to analyse and assess all union/federation policy and ensure that it has a gender perspective. Gender departments should be accorded the same status as other departments and gender co-ordinators should form part of constitutional structures.

Allocation of adequate resources

As early as 1985 COSATU resolved to budget for gender activities (to be undertaken by the women's sub-committee). The lack of resources for gender activities remains a pervasive problem throughout the federation. The federation and affiliates must allocate resources to programmes and activities that contribute to women's empowerment and gender equality. This should be closely monitored.

Education and empowerment

Gender education and training programmes run by COSATU and affiliates should be carefully monitored and evaluated to assess their impact and make improvements where necessary. Gender education programmes must be adequately financed and resourced to be effective. COSATU should ensure that local and shop steward levels are also targeted.

Education run by COSATU and affiliates should focus on the following issues:

• supporting and deepening a gender agenda for the workplace and collective bargaining;
• supporting a programme of affirmative action for the workplace and unions;
• deepening the understanding of women's oppression in society, and the struggle to challenge this, with a view to building a broader women's movement;
• drawing upon women's struggles against oppression internationally;
• encouraging debate and analysis on the barriers and obstacles women face in the labour movement and how these may be overcome; popularising COSATU gender policies, in particular the sexual harassment code.

COSATU and affiliates must implement a proportional quota system for education programmes to ensure that increasing numbers of women have access to mainstream union education, not only gender education.

Parental Rights and Childcare

COSATU and affiliates should negotiate and establish parental rights in all sectors of the economy. Parental rights must entail a full package of provisions and should not be seen as only negotiating some maternity and paternity leave. The aim of the parental rights campaign is to enable women and men in waged work to combine a career with a full family life, while infants are given all the care and attention required.

The following are the core demands:

• Paid maternity leave;
• Paid and unpaid parental leave;
• Childcare leave;
• Flexible working time;
• Provision of childcare;
• Breaks and facilities for breastfeeding mothers;
• Job security and health and safety for pregnant women.

Adequate support must be given to negotiators and organisers in conducting this campaign. This includes education programmes, research backup and a parental rights negotiators manual. The campaign should be conducted at a political and ideological level.

Equal pay for equal work and work of equal value

COSATU and affiliates, together with the NGC should continue to press for more progress in securing equal pay for work of equal value. Emphasis should be placed on:

• Skills acquired by women on the job and within the family must be more highly valued and reflected in remuneration;
• Promoting and securing legislation on equal pay for equal work and work of equal value;
• Incorporating equal pay principle in collective bargaining for all full-time workers and for part-time workers (proportional to their employment);
• All casual workers, whatever their employment contract, to be covered by collective bargaining so that the above principle is respected;
• Upgrading of low wages and salary categories where women traditionally work;
• Eliminating barriers that prohibit women from entering jobs traditionally held by men;
• Deepening the understanding of this issue amongst membership and leadership;
• Developing specific campaigns to promote equal pay.

Sexual Harassment

A strategy and campaign should be developed to implement the NEDLAC Code of Good Practice on Sexual Harassment. Unions should ensure that shop stewards are being trained in the workplace and that organisers are also informed and able to support members in taking up cases of sexual harassment. Unions should place sexual harassment on the collective bargaining agenda and negotiate agreements. The NEDLAC Code provides the space and framework to negotiate agreements in the workplace.

Employment Equity Agreements

Employment Equity legislation can contribute to transforming occupational segregation in the workplace if effectively implemented. The gender dimension to employment equity needs to be integrated in the approach of unions and the promotion of black women should be emphasised.

Furthermore, trade unions can exploit the provisions for the elimination of barriers to women's employment as a space to push for advances for women workers. Plans should be developed with specific reference to women in the following key areas:

• Remuneration and promotion;
• Equal pay for equal work and work of equal value;
• Sexual harassment;
• Parental rights and childcare facilities;
• Violence against women.

Health and Safety

There is a need to address reproductive health demands of women in the workplace. For example, access to pap smears, providing safe working conditions that do not affect the reproductive health of women, and conducive working conditions for women that are pregnant and breastfeeding. In order for these issues to be addressed, women should be part of health and safety committees at the workplace.

Participation of women in collective bargaining

The following are key to ensuring the participation of women in collective bargaining:

• Inclusion of women in bargaining teams;
• Developing the role of gender co-ordinators and structures in collective bargaining;
• Developing a strategy to ensure the involvement of women in collecting collective bargaining demands.

Organising women workers

COSATU has committed itself to the strategic objective of organising vulnerable sectors and vulnerable layers of workers, which are predominantly women. This requires a shift in mindset, organising style and approach and has implications for changing the culture of the federation. There will be a need to develop new organising strategies, to employ more women as organisers and to train existing organisers.

Organising strategies will need to take into account the specific conditions of women workers, and particularly women workers in vulnerable sectors. Important target groups include domestic workers, informal sector workers, casual workers and farm workers.

COSATU National Gender Committee (NGC)

The National Gender Committee is a sub-committee of the CEC and the catalyst for change. It should be regarded as the driving force in developing strategies for implementation and should take a hands-on approach. It should therefore:

• have the power to take initiatives and have a direct input into decision-making;
• co-ordinate the development of further policies (where there are gaps);
• co-ordinate the implementation of policies through a gender analysis approach;
• monitor and evaluate progress with rures, NOBs and affiliates to ensure proper monitoring and evaluation;
• assess plans of action and take corrective measures.

COSATU National Gender Co-ordinator

The Co-ordinator plays a central role in implementation of policy and plan of action. His/her role is to:

• Ensure the implementation of COSATU Women/Gender Resolutions through a day to day process;
• Liaise with other COSATU Departments and Structures to ensure that Gender is mainstreamed;
• Ensure that adequate funding is secured that would ensure the implementation of the Plan of Action;
• Monitoring through continuous follow up of the operational activities of the priority areas;
• Develop the Gender Plan of Action by using a gender planning and analysis;
• Set realistic targets for practical and strategic gender needs;
• Ensure that gender training is provided for staff members as a means of ensuring that a gender perspective develops in the work of the Federation;
• Establish and maintain links with Labour Service Organisations and Women'tation of the Plan of Action;
• Monitoring through continuous follow up of the operational activities of the priority areas;
• Develop the Gender Plan of Action by using a gender planning and analysis;
• Set realistic targets for practical and strategic gender needs;
• Ensure that gender training is provided for staff members as a means of ensuring that a gender perspective develops in the work of the Federation;
• Establish and maintain links with Labour Service Organisations and Women's Organisations as a strategy to accomplish practical and strategic gender needs;
• Develop evaluation reports with the Naledi Woman and Work Researcher on the implementation of the plan of action;
• Ensure that continuous research is done about the position of women.

Conclusion

It is hoped that this gender policy will assist COSATU and affiliates to achieve gender equality in the trade unions, workplace, home and the rest of society in the pursuit of socialism.