Minister wants more women in trade unions

THERE are not enough women wielding power in the trade union movement at a time when it is evident that women are the decision makers in other sectors, including Government. The observation was made by Labour Minister Anthony Roberts yesterday, when he addressed the opening of a two-day women’s seminar at the Seamen and Waterfront Workers Trade Union (SWWTU) hall on Wrightson Road, Port-of-Spain. The theme of the seminar is “Strong Unions Need Women....Issues Facing Women in the Workplace.” Roberts told the gathering, which included a few men, the theme was a “bold initiative” when one considers that “the management levels of most of the trade unions, I am tempted to say strong trade unions, are male dominated.” Saying he wished not to be accused of  “reverse chauvinism,” the minister emphasised that “not enough women sit in the seat of power at the directorate level of our trade unions.” He pointed out that apart from the Public Services Association (PSA) and the National Union of Domestic Workers (NUDE), women were not seen “holding the reins where it significantly matters.”

He said a close examination of Government and employers, however, shows a great presence of women as decision makers. Roberts said six percent of Cabinet comprised women, and the acting Prime Minister is usually a woman, in the person of Joan Yuille-Williams, minister of Culture and Gender Affairs. He said of the 34 Permanent Secretaries, 42 percent or 15 are women, and even the executive director of the Employers’ Consultative Association (ECA) is a woman. He added that women were also “strategically enrolled on Boards and other organisations which have an effective and influential voice in matters of State as they relate to industry and industrial relations.” He also commended the SWWTU for choosing relevant issues for discussion such as sexual harassment, rights of women and the law, AIDS in the workplace and health and safety/stress in the workplace. Roberts said by their inclusion, “You have undoubtedly recognised that these are matters not merely for discussion with a view to their becoming articles in a collective agreement, or any other type of contract of employment.

“They all extend beyond the walls of the room that enclose two parties sitting around a table in an atmosphere of conflict or mutual respect, trying to fix the work regulations. They should not be regarded as negotiations oriented.” The minister said womanhood must be respected and issues which impact on women’s presence in the workplace were critical. He said he also hoped that issues relating to inequitable treatment and discrimination in employment, on the basis of gender would be discussed. He also noted that “cross-gendering” of jobs, where jobs that were traditionally male dominated were becoming highly popular as job opportunities for females. SWWTU president Michael Annisette challenged women to do a “critical in-depth analysis” of the topics, adding that they not only affected you, but society. He urged them to not make it a “talk shop” but to address the matter of AIDS, which is claiming the lives of the productive age group as a trade union matter.