FKTU Activities for Gender Equality

1
FKTU Activities for Gender Equality

• Prepared by In-duk LEE, International Director,
• Federation of Korean Trade Unions

2
FKTU Action Priorities for Gender Equality

• Revision of laws related women workers / Policy
  Recommendation
• Empowerment of women
• Promotion of women representation
• Awareness raising
• Providing legal services for women
• -gt Decent work for women

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Revision of laws / Policy Recommendation

• Expansion of maternity leave and benefit
  (currently 3 months)
• Introduction of paternity leave (3 days, starting
  July 2008)
• Providing legal framework for protection of
  non-regular workers

4
Empowerment of women

• Trainings Education Labor class for women
  workers (4 times per year)
• Lecture on labor laws related women, focusing on
  examples of violation
• Women workers roles in unification of Korean
  Peninsula
• Ways of promoting women leadership
• Womens Committee meetings workshops
• Womens Committee meetings (twice per year)
• Workshops situations of women workers, effective
  ways of organizing women, affirmative actions,
  best practices in unit trade unions

5
Promotion of women representation (1)

• Introduction of female quotas
• Delegates to FKTU Annual National Conventions and
  Central Committee meetings (max. 30 ,
  proportionality, introduced in 2006)
• FKTU leadership 1 female vice-president to be
  appointed starting 29 Jan 2008 (FKTU constitution
  was amended in 2005)

6
Promotion of women representation (2)

• Study for the development of gender equality
  index (conducted by FKTU Research Center)
• Objective to seek ways how to change
  male-dominated trade union culture to
  women-friendly one.
• Indexes decision-making system, organizational
  structure and operating procedures, trade union
  cultures
• Results union members with more experience and
  stronger beliefs in trade unions evaluate their
  unions as more women friendly.
• Recommendations to promote womens participation
• To make efforts to recruit more women officials
  and take measures for capacity building of women
• To make efforts to raise women members in trade
  unions
• To strengthen education and awareness-raising for
  women members

7
Awareness raising

• Natl Women Workers Conference (March 8)
  Awarding a Gender Equality Prize, Declaration
  of gender equality policy, Short films on
  maternity protection and equality
• Street campaigns on equal share of family
  responsibilities prior to Lunar New Year and
  Thanksgiving Day
• Posters, fliers, cartoons stressing balance of
  work and family responsibilities and asking
  active cooperation from male counterparts

8
Providing legal services for women

• Equal Employment Counseling Center (launched in
  2000)
• Legal services on maternity leave, childcare
  leave, sexual harassment, unfair labor practices,
  back wages, etc.
• Counseling through Internet, telephone
• Lodging complaints on behalf of women members

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Difficulties Challenges

• Lack of awareness on gender equality in trade
  unions as well as society in general
• Low participation of women due to childcare
  burdens and family responsibilities
• Tight budget allocated to women activities
• Low rate of women membership
• Male-dominated decision-making structure
• Lack of cooperation of male workers
• Insufficient personnel and heavy workload of the
  person in charge of gender equality

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Main Activities for the Year 2008Participation
in Global Campaign for Decent Work, Decent Life
for Women

• Workshops and seminars
• To provide information on the working conditions
  and status of women workers
• To have in-depth discussions on how to achieve
  decent work for women
• 2. Survey and research study
• To conduct a survey on the gaps bet.
  policies/legislation and actual conditions of
  women workers -gt policy recommendations
• To carry out a research study on the promotion of
  gender equality and work/family responsibilities
  -gt feasible solutions based on case studies of
  advanced countries
• Awareness-raising campaigns
• On promoting gender equality, achieving women
  empowerment, expanding women participation in
  decision-making bodies

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2008 March 8 Activities (1)

• Title March 8 Womens Festival to Mark 100th
  International Women Day (IWD)
• Slogan Women, Lets open a new communal
  society
• Main objectives
• To build a communal society in which all members
  can sincerely cooperate based on mutual trust
• To alleviate poverty and polarization through
  protecting vulnerable work forces including women
  and non-regular workers
• To prevent all types of discrimination

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2008 March 8 Activities (2)

• Organizers FKTU, KCTU, 40 NGOs
• Program
• Celebration Keynote speech, media congratulatory
  messages, cultural performances, symbolic
  rituals, adoption of resolution
• 3.8 Km of street march
• Festival along with ordinary citizens
• Thank you very much