Recent Developments for Women
Jennifer O'Donnell-Pirisi, VTHC Women's Officer:email: jo'donnell-pirisi@vthc.org.au or ph: 03 9659 3511.
Representation in unions and OHS issues
There is still a long way to go before the Working Womens' Charter is fully implemented. Whilst women's workforce participation is increasing they are not joining unions at the same rate as men.
Patterns of women's
trade union membership
1912 - 8.4%
1919 - 26.3%
1939 - 32.8%
1945 - 51.9%
1946 - 37.2%
1970 - 36.0%
1979 - 46.0%
1988 - 39.0%
Women are 42% of the workforce, only 39% of women are unionised. Why ?
• New jobs going to women in unionised areas.
• Women carry out part-time work and casual work and outwork. Unions have not yet worked out ways of recruiting these women.
• Women might be put off by the masculine image of unions.
Women are also under-represented in trade union hierarchies. It is not uncommon for female dominated unions to have most of the leadership positions occupied by men. It was only in 1983 that the first women was represented on the ACTU Executive. Her name was Jenny George from the NSWTF. It is estimated only 12% of union officials are women and most of these would be in appointed rather than elected positions. (No reliable data exists).
1987 Congress - 3 AA positions on the Executive to increase women's participation
Still only three women out of a total of 34.
1989 Now 7 women on the Executive
The ACTU has an action plan and comprehensive policy. It also has union policy aimed at increasing women's participation.
ACTU Strategy on Recruitment of women
(i) The development of a more comprehensive Affirmative Action Plan, in time for the next Congress.
(ii) Review of the structures of the ACTU and State branches to ensure that women are fairly represented.
(iii) The development of industrial campaigns aimed at women.
(iv) Expansion of trade union training.
(v) Encouragement of women for women to stand for election.
(vi) Involvement of women in recruitment campaigns.
(vii) Ensuring women can more easily participate, e.g. provision of childcare.
(viii) A study of successful affirmative action plans be undertaken and resources allocated to recruit women.
VTHC affirmative action and recruitment campaign
At a State level the VTHC has an affirmative action plan for increasing women's participation. Key features of the plan are:
° Election of three Affirmative Action positions to VTHC Executive
° Encouraging Industry groups with significant numbers of women members to nominate women as their representatives on Executive
° Setting a target so that half of the VTHC Executive positions are held by women by the end of 1999
° Establishing a second Vice-President women's position
° Rotating the Presidency so that men and women are alternately represented by 1991.
Women's Health and Safety
The problem with 'gender neutral' OH&S legislation'Gender Neutral' Health and Safety legislation is based on the assumption that a safe and healthy workplace will suit all workers. In practice, however, the legislation is based on norms set for men. The consequences for women are numerous:
- It ignores the concentration of women in certain supposedly 'low risk' occupations, and the double jeopardy which faces women whose waged work exposes them to similar risks to those they experience in their domestic labour.
- Female workers may have to work with equipment and workstations that are designed for the average male's body size and shape - counters that are too high, tools and boots that are too large, or sacks that are too heavy to lift.
- Women's occupations have always been viewed as safe. As such, safety professionals have always focussed on jobs where the hazards are more dramatic, such as the male-dominated manufacturing or construction industries, leaving women out of valuable research.
In occupations such as nursing, the rate of manual handling injuries remains very high but serious attempts are being made to address this issue. The Australian Nursing Federation (Vic Branch) won the Victorian WorkCover Authority Outstanding Leadership in Health and Safety Award in 2000 for its three-year "No Lifting" campaign designed to prevent and reduce nurses' injuries when lifting or moving patients. See the Australian Nursing Federation website for background.
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