Shame on us – part 2
Vanessa Le Roux
Metalworkers have walked a long road since our last bargaining conference in 2003.
In 2003 – there were 6 women delegates out of a total of 150. In 2005 – there are 16 women (some are regional coordinators) delegates out of a total of 142 worker delegates.
Our national leadership challenged the national gender co-coordinator yesterday, “we don’t hear women speak – other then Tanya Van Meelis who did a presentation.”
Why have regions not included women in their delegation? At our recent national congress regions met the 20% threshold.
We are deliberating on the core of our business (wage negotiations) but women are not part of these deliberations to decide on what’s important to them.
“The union adopted a resolution that clearly states that in all meetings we should have 20% women representation,” Christine Olivier, Western Cape regional chairperson stated.
“From what we can see regions have not complied. Some regions complied with the decision before head office had to intervene by sending a circular to all regions. We heard some comrades are referring to us as an evil structure. Comrades if we don’t implement our decisions women will never be developed in this union.”
Comrades from Hlanganani region said “we should seriously consider electing women in our region as bargaining reps.”
Mabu Lesenyeho – gender chairperson in Northern Cape/Free State says “women must be placed in positions. The union wants us to recruit workers – women must be recruited. We must look at women who are active in their regions – put them in office bearers’ positions as well as in the bargaining teams. I believe women can do anything their male counterparts are currently doing in the organisation”.
This is the challenge that “men in our union should take upon themselves,” she said.
“The NEC took a decision that there should be 20% gender representation in all union meetings,” the assistant general secretary, Bheki Magagula clarified.
“It is up to gender structures in their respective regions to monitor and remind their secretariat of such decisions. As a pilot we could co-opt women from the gender structures into the bargaining teams. A more comprehensive programme should start from our workplaces to ensure women participate in the union.”
Selinah Tyikwe our national gender co-ordinator says “We need to clarify what 20% means. 20% must come from regions’ allocated delegation and not 2 female delegates. In ensuring more women are developed and participate in all structures, we have launched gender structures in all regions. The regional structures have the responsibility to target at least five companies that have a big number of women. This should form part of a strategy to ensure women workers are more active within our union.”
“Currently we have one bargaining rep per region in both motor and engineering,” Tyikwe said. “What we want to see is two bargaining reps per region of which one must be occupied by women.”
“In the Auto & Tyre sectors there is currently one women rep but another is needed. As a union we need to increase our budget to ensure our decisions are no longer paper resolutions.”
When vacancies in the organisation (positions previously occupied only by men e.g. organisers) arise women should be given priority to fill those positions. “A capacity building programme should be put in place to support women.”
On a much lighter note, Mpumalanga ‘s Mabhontshisi Linda pointed out that the table was on shaky ground on gender issues – all the National Office Bearers are men!
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Shame on industry
Mdu Ntuli
In 1996, Numsa adopted a resolution that said we should compel the industry to increase the employment of women in workplaces. The Employment Equity Act should be our weapon to fight for this important issue.
In my company (Hillside Aluminium), female faces are scarce. About 10% of the workforce are female. The metal industry as a whole is breeding male comrades.
Could the lack of progress in changing the face of women in the industry be the reason for the long debate that ensued on the number of women representatives in the bargaining conference?
Therefore Vanessa will agree with me when I say “Shame on the Metal and Engineering Industry!”
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NUMSA . . . . Educate a woman
Ayanda Billie
One of our political prophets Malcolm X once said, “To educate a man is to educate an individual, but to educate a woman is to educate a Nation”.
That’s true, any man or woman began his/her early learning from her mother or grandmother.
Our lives are surrounded by women, all things begin with a woman, but in this year’s NBC gathering it seems we have forgotten that.
In the house there was applause when regions were boasting about having improved their number of women delegates. The numbers were two women out of ten men and three women out of fourteen male delegates: that is what they called improvement!
It was women themselves who were standing proudly, saying, “My region is the best when it comes to gender issues.” Those were the words of Nthabiseng Moleleki from Wits Central West region.
It makes one wonder whether we are still politically fighting for gender equality.
Let us not blame the youth if they do not join the union in their working years, because their mothers were not a part of a mobilizing force and were left outside of important conferences.
If we want to educate the nation let’s get women involved more and more.