Women workers in Asia
This article appeared in Voices, November 1977, the newsletter of the· CCA-URM (Christian Conference of Asia - Urban Rural Mission), an organization which has been very active in various parts of Asia in assisting workers to organize and fight for their rights. It is available from: CCA-URM, 2-3-18 Nishi-Waseda, Shinjuku-ku, Tokyo 160, Japan.
For four days in late May 1977, fifteen grassroots women labor organizers from eight Asian countries gathered in Manila to share their struggles and begin building an international network of solidarity among the laboring women of Asia, who are the most exploited of all workers. This meeting, called by CCA-URM, was the first stage in developing an authentic "People's Forum" -- a platform for the working people of Asia to share and express their suffering and gather strength from the bonds of solidarity with other exploited peoples.
The participants came from a variety of backgrounds: local organizers of trade unions, researchers of labor problems, workers in textile and plastics factories, representatives of national trade union councils, URM organizers in labor education projects, and community organizers from factory neighborhoods. What they all shared in common was the experience of oppression as women in the work force of their countries.
Before the formal program began, the group spent one day in discussion with local Filipino workers--bus conductresses, textile workers, dock workers and others. These discussions, on issues ranging from working hours, wages and accident compensation to union manipulation and government interference in organizing activities, made a deep impression on the participants of the depth of problems faced by women workers in particular, under conditions of massive poverty and government repression.
Each participant reported on the conditions in her own country . Some of the highlights of these reports are as follows.
Australia
The rapid increase in non-English-speaking migrants into Australia in the past twenty years has caused a heavy concentration among industrial workers of peoples from Italy, Turkey, Greece, Portugal and others of the poorer countries of Europe. Many of these workers are illiterate or have minimal education; most speak little English. One-third of the total work force are women, of whom more than 20% are migrants. The majority are between 35 and 55 years of age and have children needing child care, for which there is no provision. Labor unions, even in industries where women comprise large majorities of the workers, are almost totally dominated by Anglo-Saxon males. The lack of a common language among workers is used by management to divide the workers among themselves, and by the union leadership to thwart union democracy. For women workers, there is no job security. No legislation protects workers from arbitrary dismissal. With unemployment rather high, there is little chance for a sacked worker who speaks no English to find another job.
Hong Kong
Most workers' families come from China, but the younger generation, which forms the majority in industries where women workers predominate, were mostly born in Hong Kong. Women under 30 make up 60"/o of the work force. There is no child care available, and no maternity leave with pay. Workers are given a total of ten weeks for childbirth, and the law guarantees that they cannot be dismissed because of maternity. But frequently, women who leave jobs to bear children return to find they have been dismissed for "other" reasons, with the required 14.day notice having been issued during their absence. Unions in Hong Kong are divided by political affiliation: the "Blue" unions, conservative and "nonpolitical", the "Red" unions affiliated with the People's Republic of China. The left unions are the strongest in industry and public utilities. Two-thirds of all workers are members of "Red" unions. However, the unions have no collective bargaining strength. Most workers are ignorant of their rights, as the laws are in English, arid there is little attempt to educate workers to know the law. Compulsory overtime work is frequent; anyone refusing to work, often through the night, is likely to lose her job. There is no minimum wage law. Basic wages average around US$5.00 per day. It is easier for women than for men to find work in industry up through age 25; after that it is very difficult for women to find jobs. Working conditions in the textile, garment and electronics industries are bad, with crowded, unsanitary workrooms and antiquated equipment. In electronics, eyesight invariably deteriorates after a few years of work, so the workers cannot continue.
Indonesia
In Japanese-related Joint-venture textile firms, the major problem is the attitude of management (both Japanese and Indonesian-Chinese) toward Indonesian laborers. The level of salaries for factory workers is exceedingly low, Rp. 500 (US$1 .30) per day for temporaries, Rp. 600 for regular workers. Unions are government-run, and have no participation from the workers. There is no transportation allowance, but companies provide buses from the center of the city for workers. Organizing workers is difficult outside the context of the unions, because of tight governmental control on all organizations and the lack of trained organizers.
Japan
Women workers are predominantly young and unmarried, especially in labor-intensive industries such as textiles, electronics and food-packing. Pay rates are inferior to those of men workers, and job categories are rigidly divided. Advancement is difficult for women workers outside the specified categories. In electronics, eye damage is one of the perennial occupational hazards. Intensified work pace and highly simplified assembly-line operations requiring great concentration cause tension and fatigue that lead to a high incidence of illnesses among women workers. In a survey in the food industry, one-third of workers who had become pregnant had experienced miscarriages. Unions are organized along company lines, so that workers tend to organize only on issues related to the company itself. Solidarity with other workers in Asia suffering from the policies of the same Japanese company is difficult, because the workers tend to be supportive of their company if it is attacked from outside. Because most women workers do not intend to remain long in the work force, organizing them is difficult. There is a very low level of consciousness among working women of the situation faced elsewhere in Asia as a result of Japan's economic policies.
Pakistan
Women comprise only a small minority of the labor force of Pakistan. Of a population of 70 million, the labor force numbers 2.11 million. Of these, 1.56 million are rural and . 55 million urban. Women are a small part of this. In textiles, the work force is almost completely male. Traditionalism towards women and among women themselves is a major factor to be contended with in organizing them. Although there are middle-class organizations of women, there are no organizations of working women.
Philippines
The problems of women workers are part of the overall problems of workers in the Philippines: unions controlled by the government, low wages, and no job security in a situation of high unemployment. Although labor laws exist, they are not enforced. Strikes are restricted and efforts at developing working-class solidarity are considered subversive. One of the most oppressed groups of women workers are the bus conductresses, who often work 14-18 hours per day for minimal pay. There are no toilet facilities for them at the terminals, nor canteens, and no lunch time is provided, except for irregular 5-10-minute breaks. It is almost impossible to collect claims for accidents on the job. If a driver has an accident he is considered personally liable. No maternity leave is allowed. Uniforms must be purchased by the conductresses themselves.
In the textile industry, 90% of the women workers are married. One company provides maternity leave, up to four pregnancies. Before martial law the practice was to allow six weeks before delivery and eight weeks after at 60% of salary. Now workers receive two weeks before delivery and four weeks after at 100% . Many workers are kept for many years as temporary employees, not subject to minimum wage laws or eligible for benefits, in contravention of the labor laws. Attempts to secure union or government action to correct these abuses are fruitless .
On the basis of these and other national reports, the participants developed plans for a regional network of organizations of women workers, to coordinate the sharing of information about their situations, including labor laws, the stories of struggles and strikes, and to further inform people of each country about the plight faced by women throughout Asia. It was recognized that in most places women did not have adequate information about their own situation or about the companies for which they worked, particularly the foreign-owned companies.
It was also recognized that in Asia some countries have many more resources for supporting workers' struggles than others, and so it was agreed that one aim of a network of solidarity would be the sharing of resources to those places where they are needed, as symbols of the solidarity of women with each other. Plans were made for the publication of a regular newsletter and the distribution of research materials to places where information was needed to support worker actions.