COLSIBA The Coordinating Body of Latin American Banana and Agro-industrial Workers Unions Women s Committee Decision-making women with a voice

Transcription

1 COLSIBA The Coordinating Body of Latin American Banana and Agro-industrial Workers Unions Women s Committee Decision-making women with a voice Coordinator Adela Torres Valoy 1

2 Presentation: Exchange of Women's Experiences within the Framework of the World Banana Forum Date: 24, 25, 26 February 2012 Place: Hotel Ramada, Guayaquil, Ecuador 2

3 INTRODUCTION Throughout history women, as active members of the labour, social, and political spheres, have made an important contribution to the development of nations, which as a result has enabled people and governments to double their capital gains. These historical developments have taken places without a meaningful or significant recognition for the female population. Instead, there have been recorded violations to fundamental conventions and recommendations regarding equal opportunity as it is delineated by the ILO. For this reason, and in order to contribute to the improvement and development of the quality of life of banana workers in the agribusiness, the different trade union organizations in Latin America, the Caribbean and Africa, have united to form an organization that protects the rights of the more disadvantaged groups. HSTORY OF COLSIBA In 1993, COLSIBA was founded, as an answer to the international crisis of the banana market, which systematically impacts and directly affects the living and labour conditions of workers on the banana plantations. It aims to promote and develop a series of activities: education, training, organization, communication, mobilization, denunciation and solidarity, in order to counteract the consequences of the measures taken by employers and governments in banana-producing countries. In order to plan its actions and achieve its goals, COLSIBA organizes a Latin American Conference of Banana Unions every two years, where discussions and agreements take place, in regards to production relationships and banana commercialization, and their impact on the social and labour conditions of workers. 3

4 STRUCTURE COORDINATING COMMITTEE Responsible for verifying and enforcing compliance to the agreements reached at the conference, besides discussing and consulting emerging topics. Integraded by: TWO DELEGATES Commonly, by a woman and a man of ach organization who meet 2 or 3 times a year. The coordination and representation job is carried out by three people COORDINATOR, ASSISTANT COORDINATOR and COORDINATOR OF WOMEN Appointed for a period of two years. 4

5 COLSIBA s Women s Secretary arises as an impetus for the overall development of women s role in the banana sector. After its formation, a female coordinator was appointed to ensure that women members participate equality and fairly in the functioning of the organizations. Through COLSIBA, new spaces have been sought out for women to not only to be heard, but also for their claims to be observed. Within the framework established by the ILO, COLSIBA's Women's Committee in the past 16 years has managed to do important work, such as, promoting job opportunities on equal basis as men, in regards to conditions of equality, freedom, security, and guarantees of human dignity and decent work as human rights. 5

6 Participating Organizations: In 2004 in response to the most pressing needs expressed by Latin American women working in the banana sector, an agreement was conceived in which a Platform for Action is elaborated and presented in the interest of integrating an equity approach in the clauses of Collective Agreements that assist workers in our organizations FENACLE Ecuador SINTRAINAGRO Colombia SITRAIBANA Panama COSIBA Costa Rica FETRABACH Nicaragua ATC Nicaragua UNSITRAGUA Guatemala SITRABI Guatemala SITRATERCO Guatemala SITROPROADASA - Honduras SITRAEASISA - Honduras SITRABARIMASA - Honduras SITRAAMERIBÍ - Honduras SITRAASURCO - Honduras 6

7 Taking into account that women form practically half of the population in the represented countries (Ecuador, Colombia, Panamá, Costa Rica, Nicaragua, Honduras y Guatemala), it is essential to create these spaces where the women have a say. Moreover, there is a significant gender gap in access to job opportunities, as females do not reach an equal level of participation in productive work. We may represent 50% of the population in the regional countries, but data shows that economically speaking the female working population is underrepresented (less than that 50%), as we only make up between 27.1% and 44.6% of the working population From this point of view, gender equality is a prerequisite for the successful development of our society, and so it is the duty of all to promote the rights of women and to adopt a vertical position with respect to the integrity of these women. Following this train of thought, the Women`s Committee, through our acknowledgement of the reality female banana workers are facing, which is characterized by the difficulty to access work, a decrease in existing jobs, hindrances to maternity options and a lack of respect, have decided to carry out a campaign to promote the Labour, Sexual and Reproductive Rights of these female workers in the banana agroindustry, with the objective to put in place a reality which we are all responsible for. 7

8 The fight has been incessant and should continue to be so, evidence of such is that women around the world have formed unions around the same objective: INCLUSION, active participation of women at a social, political and economic level. In 2004, the Latin American banana women came to an agreement where they founded and presented the Plan for Action of Demands, with the aim of adding an equality approach in the clauses of the Collective Agreements which care for the workers in our organizations Conducting a participatory analysis of female banana workers with a particular focus on gender issues Producing a Women s regional agenda, in which five fundamental points were designed to guide the development of the work carried out by the different unions and social organizations. Based on experience and seeing the lack of proposals to present in regards to collective bargaining, a Plan for Action of Demands is constructed with specific provisions for women. After demonstrating the low participation of women in the banana production, the Campaign called We accept women on the banana plantations (Colombia) is carried out to encourage employers to employ more women. We conducted a research on labor rights and the sexual and reproductive rights of women workers in the agribusiness (Colombia). The results of this research are presented in a book entitled Derechos y reveses de las trabajadoras de la agroindustria del banano [Rights and Setbacks of Women Workers in the Banana Agribusiness]. From the experiences gathered, a book was edited titled Lo Que Hemos Vivido: Luchas de Mujeres Bananeras [What We Have Lived: Women Workers Struggles]. With the objective that women plantation workers participate in these processes, a social foundation was formed and called "Tejiendo Huellas" [Weaving Traces] (Colombia). Having received proposals by women in Colombia in the past negotiation, a clause was added requiring employers to hire a woman for each plantation for the duration of the collective agreement. 8

9 All of the above have been achieved thanks to a big effort on the part of the women, to such an extent that the coordinator is now a woman. However, we continue to demand improved conditions for women. What is needed is to continue seeking support that will provide better training for facing up to the challenges and the discrimination encountered from both companies and governments. The participatory analysis with a focus on gender issues stands out among the actions identified as priorities. This forms part of the ILO s Decent Work Programme, which promotes decent and productive work in conditions which prioritise freedom, equality, safety and human dignity, as well as the right to a respectable job. This includes not only those who contribute towards the formal economy but also those who work independently, on a temporary basis and in the informal economy. Also covered by the programme are those who provide care and those who work within the private confines of the home, areas in which predominantly women work. A second priority was the introduction of the Female Banana Workers Regional Agenda, which was drawn up with the aim of creating an incorporated union proposal to allow female banana workers to address their immediate practical needs. This will provide women with a route along which to direct our work systematically and practically. It is also hoped that the proposal will enable women to progress to positions which will improve their situation within the family, the community, the company and the union. 9

10 Within the regional survey carried out from 24 to 27 March 2004, in Puerto Cortés, Honduras, Central America, the previous version of the agenda was reviewed. The idea behind this was to analyse whether the points covered in it were still relevant or whether to make changes and implement new agreements in keeping with the current dynamic situation experienced by women in the banana-producing sector. It should be remembered that this initiative was implemented as a result of the Participatory Analysis with a Focus on Gender Issues systematisation process, held on 29 and 30 June 2001 in San Pedro Sula, Honduras. In attendance were national leaders represented in COLSIBA, as well as some of the female members of the local teams. At the same time, female banana workers have set up the Protest Action Platform with the intention of integrating the equality approach into the clauses of the Collective Agreements concerning the workers in our organisations. We have put in extensive efforts and come a long way over the years but the potential of women is still limited on the social, labour, economic and political levels. It is therefore essential that we continue to work towards maximising the potential of female banana workers and searching for ways to highlight the value of their work. 10

11 Decision-making women with a voice is a proposal to encourage active participation on a work, social, economic and political level for the banana-producing women. There is a need for an encompassing strategy, which links all the organizations and institutions within the banana industry and which helps contribute to women s complete development. The banana industry trade unions must be involved as direct entities in relation to the problem, assign it specific tasks and make it sensitive to the role it has in searching for gender equality. This proposal intends not only to call for rights, but also, more importantly, PROPOSE, but for that to happen there needs to be space and opportunity where projects, papers, training and politics can be displayed, which guarantee a better quality of living for the banana-producing women. After the diagnosis was made, contextualizing those involved, (and this involves everyone), of the actual situation of the banana-producing women in relation to their work situation and their active role in society, we must define the work areas for the incorporation of Decision-making women with a voice and the creation of activities for its realization. 11

12 The principal action in relation to the proposal is the Empowerment of Women, to gain the confidence to be the first to deal with the situation, gain self-esteem and strength to transform the current situation they are living in society. Without an empowerment will involve their active participation, the desire to improve intellectually and to take up training with the purpose of generating competitive opportunities. As a first guideline we propose: There be a strengthening of women s work and social capabilities. In other words, that the banana-producing women be trained at a work, social and political level, not only so that they can carry out their work more efficiently and be valued for it, but also to enable them to develop wholly in any scope of their lives. Formal training is of vital importance; not only do they improve intellectually, but they bring an awareness of the important role that women have in the sustainable development of society. The second guideline is: A commitment of inclusion and active political participation of the women. In this way the women will have a Voice and a Vote in the institutions of which the banana trade unions are a part of. This is a bilateral commitment, as it not only commits the leaders of the banana companies to create a space for participation when decisions are being made, but also for the women to take part in labour committees to strengthen their participation in political agendas. 12

13 It is of vital importance that women realize the value they have, and to get involved politically, since this opens doors to new avenues, where they can generate productive and social projects which will benefit the development of their communities. The last guideline is: Work Advancement. With work, intellectual and political participation capabilities, it is expected that women progress. It is essential to provide security in relation to development and quality of life, not to limit them to only one activity but to provide them with new opportunities and administrative fields where they can develop and take up new work careers. Open up spaces which generate formal employment for those women who are financially limited and to provide opportunities for better jobs for those who have trained to carry out new tasks. With regard to the subject of hiring, it is imperative that the Banana companies hire women and men on an equal basis to occupy both manual and administrative posts with no distinction of sex, age, race, religion or social class. 13

14 CONCLUSIONS Women in general and the banana-producing women in particular, are to found within a gender system, which implies a set of power relationships, based on the binomial dominant-dominated. Said system, which is a social order articulated with an andocentric reference, is a space where the men find a set of privileges, and the women encounter restrictions to access a life lived with free will, given their condition of subjugation. Therefore, it is of vital importance that we search for roads that change the way women have been developing, develop strategies where they can participate actively within the scope where they live and work and have easy access to tools which will make their work easier. The banana-producing women live in their diverse environments a similar problem, linked to violence against them. They carry the consequences of this which results in a permanent and sustained vulnerability of their human rights. Because of this, it s the duty of all those involved to ensure their rights are protected and provide them with autonomy, so that in full conscience of their faculties, act for them as well. 14