Welcome to the IUF's special network site for women workers. This site is designed to help women activists and members in the IUF exchange ideas about their situation and their position within their unions and within the IUF.

Women make up at least 40% of the IUF membership, but their number could be much higher, according to some of the replies to a current IUF membership survey.

The results of the survey, which was launched on the initiative of the IUF Women's Committee to help to define more adequate policies and activities to improve the situation of women workers within the IUF sectors, will be presented to the next IUF Congress (May 2002).

The first attempts to address women's representation within the IUF was made at the Congress in 1977, with the introduction of special seats for women in the IUF governing bodies. This measure tripled women's representation from 6,6% to 20 % in the Executive Committee, EC.

Since then, the proportion of women representatives in the EC has only slightly increased to 22% and only few women have been elected on non-reserved seats. Therefore, the last IUF Congress in 1997 set up new targets to break the threshold: since women make up 40% of the membership, this should be reflected at all levels of the organization. Furthermore there should be a fair representation of men and women in all IUF activities, including sectoral meetings, trade union development projects, etc, to ensure that gender aspects are taken into account. The objective of fair representation shall be reached by 2007.

IUF Women's structures

Women's committees on regional and international levels meet once a year, normally prior to regional or executive committee meetings, in order to discuss issues of special concern to women workers and make sure that these are dealt with by the governing bodies.

In May 2000, the IUF EC endorsed the recommendation of the Women's Committee to develop formal links between the Women's Committee and the IUF Trade Groups (Agriculture, HRCT, Tobacco) and the Food and drink sector, in order to ensure clearer industrial focus to the priorities of the IUF Women's activities.

These priorities includes:

1. Tackling low pay and reducing the gender pay gap
2. Developing organizing, training, representation and bargaining strategies to respond to the changing work force and the need of women workers
3. Promoting health and safety for women working along the food chain
4. Enabling work life balance through family-friendly working arrangements and equality of rights in social security, among others
5. Eliminating violence against women and violations of women's basic rights at the workplace and in society.