Safe at home and safe at work

In 2010, the Australian government established the National Plan to Reduce Violence Against Women and Children 2010-2022. The plan provides prevention measures, support and “creative ways of bringing about change”.

The Women’s Committee of the Australian Council of Trade Unions, ACTU, is taking an active part in combating domestic violence of which hundreds of thousands of women are victims every year. The Women’s Committee encourages unions to raise awareness about the domestic violence and to take it up as a collective bargaining issue. ACTU has also pronounced itself in favour of legislation that makes domestic violence an industrial issue.

First woman shop steward in the beverage workers union in Togo

ABA EKLU Abokovi Akouvi is working at a mineral water plant 55 km from Lomé. In December 2011, she became the first woman shop steward in the history of the beverage workers union SYNTEB

The union hopes that this election will stimulate more women to become active and take up union positions with the support of the women’s project activities.

Maternity Convention ratified by Benin

IUF affiliates in Benin have not missed one opportunity to push for the ratification of the ILO Convention 183 on Maternity protection. They are therefore very happy to announce that their efforts have been successful: on January 10, 2012, Benin became the 23rd country to ratify this important convention.
The IUF national women’s coordination committees in other African countries are continuing their struggle to get their respective governments to take the same move.

8th March celebrations in Tanzania

Members of the IUF national women's coordination committee preparing for joining the march

International women's Day celebrations at Mnazi Mmoja grounds in Dar es Salaam

Women workers win 200 permanent jobs at Lampung's biggest seafood processing factory

In a courageous fight against the brutal regime of insecure work at the largest seafood processing factory in Lampung, Indonesia, the Phillips Seafood Indonesia Workers’ Union (SBPSI) successfully won permanent employment for 200 union members.

Australia: Historic gender pay decision narrows pay gap

Fair Work Australia has found in favour of the Australian Services Union in a claim for 150,000 community workers in Australia. The decision will raise the pay of mainly female workers by 40 to 65 per cent over the coming eight years.

India: Women dairy workers form action committee to fight discrimination and precarious employment

On 2 July 2011, delegates to the National Conference of Women Dairy Workers reported that women workers in the world’s largest dairy industry face wage discrimination, excessive working hours, increased night work, denial of opportunities for promotion, precarious employment, and access to even the most basic facilities such as separate toilets and changing rooms.

Workplaces free from sexual harassment and violence

For all our women members in the hotel and restaurant sector around the world it is reassuring to see that in a unionized hotel in New York, the right to a workplace free from sexual harassment is taken seriously.

Young women leaders in CTSWF trained

On May 14-15, the IUF AP and CTSWF Women's Committee held a May Day Seminar and Training in Basic Trade Unionism in Phnom Penh.

Pia Stalpaert first woman president of CSC Alimentation et Services

On March 18, retiring president Louis De Prins was succeeded by Pia Stalpaert in the leadership of the Belgian food & services union, CSC Alimentation et Servies. Pia is the first woman president of the union.

At the EFFAT Congress in 2009, Pia was elected as a member of the EFFAT Management Committee and in November 2010 as a chair of its Women's Committee. She has been actively involved in defending domestic workers' rights both through her union and in the ILO discussions on a Convention for domestic workers. Read more about the organizing experiences of CSC Alimentation et Services in the previous article.