owol suzanne franzway 2011

8/3/2019 OWOL Suzanne Franzway 2011

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` Our Work Our Lives 2011 Dili, Timor-Leste

` 4th conference on women and industrial relations (Now

International)

` 1-2 September 2011

` A/Prof Suzanne Franzway

Research Centre for Gender Studies

University of South [email protected]


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` A joint initiative between: Working Women's Centres Australia and

Union Aid Abroad-APHEDA

` Began as a Network

` To be launched at 4th Our Work Our Lives: Women and Industrial Relations

Conference, Timor Leste on September 1 & 2, 2011.

` This work contributes to the larger politicaland discursive alliances

between feminists and union movements,

and their campaigns to confront the difficult political and strategic issues

that are relevant to working women.

INSPIRATION


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To achieve decent work for women goal of ILO.

Women do two-thirds of the worlds work, receive 10 percent of the worlds

income and own 1 percent of the means of production.

"It is no longer possible to protect workers' rights in one country,

while in neighbouring countries with whom we trade,

workers face exploitation and sweatshop conditions.

The fight for workers' rights in one country has to be a fightfor workers' rights in every country.

(Make Life Fair Everywhere campaign.)

Sharan Burrow, ITUC General Secretary.

This paper is part of a larger project

Franzwa & Fonow 2011

MOTIVATION


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` For activism to be relevant to women workers, then worker

organizations, NGOs and social movements must develop the

political spaces where women can make collective politics.

`

How much political activism people do depends on the powerand resources available to them.

` Resources and capacities for political action are produced within

sexual politics.

` Sexual politics = politics of gender relations which impact on

political opportunities and social identities.


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` Women activists with feminist politics are a minority so have strong

incentives to work across state and organizational borders to makealliances.

` E.g. the World March of Women brings women together from peace

organizations, community groups, and trade unions in a global

campaign for peace and equality.

Trade Union Movements:Trade Union Movements:

` Trade unions have resources for feminist politics

` history of international alliances and political activism

` 40% women membership

` But also history of conflicts

` Sexual politics


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Community-based mediating institutions, support & organise workers

` 1. Diverse structures & funding

` 2. Intersection of ethnic & gender & class

` 3. Place-based cf work-site based

` 4. Broad agenda

` 5. Service (eg legal, training, mediation)

` 6. Advocacy

` 7. Organising

` 8. Leadership development

` 9. Global orientation` 10. Coalitions & alliances

` 11. Small, active membership` Based on Janice Fine, 2006


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` Not-for-profit, community organisations

` Funded by the state and Labour movement

` Advocacy` Gains

` Tensions


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` Established in 1979

` From: renewed and growing awareness of

women @ work

ExperiencesProblems

Politics

By feminist and union activists


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` Goals of social change, beyond service

` Feminist analysis

` Collectivity processes

` Effective organising` Building community & support

` Own working conditions

` Womens safe space

` Networking other services

` Alliances


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` Provide a free and confidential service on work related issues.

` For women who are not represented by a union, their own lawyer or other

advocate,

` To increase women's participation in work and negotiating conditions, including:

` Individual case work (industrial and Equal Rights)

` Training programs on working women's issues

` Work with unions to gain true equality for women members

` Encourage women to take an active part in their union

` Promote gender equity through research & policy development, committees and

campaigns


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Òrganisation: collective or management?

Conflicts over roles, alliances and political autonomy,

`Funding? Strings and conditions

Conflicts over funding sources

`Service/case work OR campaign?

Ìndividual case work helps individual women, but also provides

evidence of womens work issues.

Ùseful for campaigns (& funding).

` But casework is never ending

` How to balance individual cases with campaigns and advocacy?


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` Decent womens work, paid & unpaid, is crucial for gender equity.

` It is important for womens citizenship.

` Activism around womens social-economic rights if women are to play theirpart in achieving gender equity.

` Feminist alliances between women and labour movements are creating

political spaces, national and international networks and community

organizations

to mobilize around workers issues

` Working Womens Centres are important examples.


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Its not good enough to be right. Its important to win something. Inorder to win something, we need to agree on something.

That something does not need to be an over-arching pre-ordained ideology into which we force-fit our delightfully fractious,

argumentative selves. It does not need to be an unquestioningallegiance to one or another form of resistance to the exclusion ofeverything else. It could be a minimum agenda.

Arundhati Roy, Plenary, World Social Forum, Mumbai, January, 2004

See also: Moghadam, V., Franzway, S. & Fonow, M.M. (eds)Making Globalization Work for Women: Women Workers

Social Rights and Trade Union Leadership SUNY Press(October, 2011)

owol suzanne franzway 2011

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