El Salvador
El Salvador: "Melida Anaya Montes" Women's Movement,
Movimiento de Mujeres "Melida Anaya Montes "MAM
MAM is a non-governmental, feminist organisation that began ten
years ago. It offers gender training, literacy and academic study
for women community leaders. MAM also provides advocacy and services
to women survivors of violence; leadership training for women
who take on public roles at municipal or national level; income
generation projects; and promotes the observance of women's human
rights in the export processing industry. Within this field MAM
lead a successful campaign to modify the law governing the Free
Trade Zones.
The workshops were carried out with eighteen women workers participating.
Eight work in a free trade zone, eight in factories that receive
the same privileges as those situated in a free trade zone and
two homeworkers. The participants knew nothing previously about
codes of conduct.
During the workshop we looked at various examples of codes and
views from the women workers included that they were company propaganda,
and that in reality they were not effective. Some were incomplete
for example freedom of association was not included. However,
codes represent a tool that could allow for organisation.
The women workers expressed concern that the codes would be used
to give company a clean public image when the reality is that
nothing has changed. MAM responded by saying but this depends
on whether the workers are aware of the code and how to use it.
The workers concluded that company codes could be a useful tool
if the workers are aware of them and participate in the verification.
The workers said that beside the verification that the workers
should do it is important that an outside monitoring body exists
comprised of human rights & women's organisations, religious
groups .
The worker's believed that codes of conduct could be useful for
negotiation between workers and employers but workers must be
aware of the code, the content of the code must be in line with
international labour standards, labour ministries must take into
account the code, trade unions must incorporate codes into their
actions and demands and there is international support for the
fulfilment of the code and workers in the factory must be organised.
MAM is going to incorporate training on codes of conduct into
its usual training programmes. B MAM will also be working with
trade unions that have shown an interest in working on company
codes.
The participants agreed that women should have the opportunity
to organise in a way that best suits them, however, if they join
a trade union, the trade union should have had gender training.
One of the Salvadoran women workers who participated in the workshop
said that she was very interested in this subject and that previously
she had only heard a little about codes but was now convinced
they were useful. She said workers should be involved in monitoring
and only through worker participation would monitoring be useful.
Workers also need to be in contact with the government and other
organisations such as NGOs to insure that codes are implemented.
The same worker emphasised that it is very important to recognise
that the circumstances of men and women is different and generally
women earn less and have more problems and this should be recognised
in the codes. Codes must include freedom of association ""If
we can't organise, we will have no support to fall back on"
Finally she added that codes must be based on national labour
legislation and be implemented by the companies.
The areas which must be included in codes are the following:
living wage, working hours according to the national law; anti
discrimination; freedom of association; the right to social security
cover, the banning of sexual and physical abuse, support for child
care, and help for housing.
Woman maquila worker from the Maria Elena Cuadra Women's Movement,
Nicaragua at the Regional Workshop on codes of conduct.
Guatemala
Guatemala: International Textiles Garment and Leather workers
Federation, ITGLWF
The ITGLWF, the international textile secretariat groups together
thousands of male and female workers in the textile industry.
The ITGLWF is collaborating with projects organised by trade unions
in Central America with a particular focus on the export processing
zones. This project has been up and running for three years in
Guatemala.
For this project we worked with women from three different factories
and there is no trade union presence in any of the factories.
The participants expressed the view that codes were created by
companies to improve their image. They found the codes similar
to national legislation although they are less detailed. The workers
were against the company designed codes as they believe worker
participation is fundamental.
They also believe that these codes are not applied and that even
more international pressure is needed for this to happen.
Who should monitor codes of conduct?
The workers agreed the following groups should monitor codes of
conduct: workers in a factory, the company owners and human rights
& women's' organisations, trade unions, consumer groups and
the government. One particular requirement for monitors would
be that they are in favour of the workers and willing to listen
to the workers.
The workers believed that without an official trade union it
would be difficult to ensure the implementation of a company code
or national labour legislation.
For all this to work it is necessary for better information about
codes of conduct, help and advice from trusted organisations and
individuals and also government participation.
A sacked woman worker from an export-processing factory said
that in national workshops one can learn a lot about codes of
conduct and all other workers should have the opportunity to learn
about codes.
All the women workers who participated in the workshop agreed
that codes must contain a gender perspective, establish the responsibilities
of the government and companies in terms of respecting labour
rights, improve the co-ordination of campaigns and make them more
effective and to ensure greater distribution of information on
codes and monitoring .
Costa Rica
Costa Rica: Asociacion de Servicios de Promocion Laboral,
ASEPROLA
ASEPROLA is a non-governmental organisation providing services
in training, research, advice and communication to the region's
labour sector. It was set up in 1985 and works in three principal
areas: women's participation and influence in organisations and
in society, formulation of new working strategies within the framework
of globalisation and the building of a new work culture. Since
1994 the organisation has been actively working on behalf of maquila
workers.
It was very difficult to carry out the consultation process in
Costa Rica. On the one hand there was disinterest in the export-processing
sector. On the other there are very few trade unions in factories
producing for export. What do exist are workers committees, which
are not independent from the company. ASEPROLA searched for contacts
with a women's NGO but they did not want to participate in the
project unless trade unions and the company also participated.
The trade unions approached showed no interest in codes of conduct
their view was that company codes do not add anything to national
legislation or ILO labour standards. They do not recognise the
importance of the subject and were resistant to receive any training
on it. There is also resistance in the trade union sector of monitoring
as they see this as creating a problem of competition for power.
The women workers that participated in the workshop in total
8 women and one man said that they knew nothing of company codes
previously. Neither were they aware of the contents of national
labour legislation. As the workshop progressed they recognised
that codes of conduct are important tools in aiding the observance
of labour rights. They also expressed the need for the availability
and distribution of information about labour rights to workers.
Women workers must participate in the verification of the implementation
of codes and be listened to. The monitoring group must have the
trust of the workers.
A code of conduct must include freedom of association, overtime
must not be obligatory, a living wage, rights for pregnant women
and time off for gynaecological consultations.
Woman maquila worker from the "Melida Anaya Montes"
Women's Movement,
El Salvador at the Regional Workshop on codes of conduct.
Nicaragua
Nicaragua: The Maria Elena Cuadra Women's Movement for Employed
and Unemployed Women. Movimiento de Mujeres Trabajadoras y Desempleadas
"Maria Elena Cuadra", MEC
MEC is a non-governmental organisation working for women maquila
workers. MEC organises campaigns and training courses on labour
rights for women workers and researches working conditions in
the free trade zones. They have trained teams of women workers
in the free trade zones who promote workers' rights. In consultation
with women workers MEC designed an Ethical Code that reflects
the priorities of women workers. The Minister of Labour, making
it a Ministerial Decree has since signed the code.
In Nicaragua, three workshops were held in which around 250 women
workers participated from the export processing zones. In one
of the workshops 10 trade union leaders also attended. The women
workers said they were not previously aware of company codes of
conduct only MECs Ethical Code. Some companies have codes stuck
on the wall but the workers do not know what they are for and
the companies make no effort to inform them. The trade unionists
were not previously aware of the codes either.
However, the women workers were in agreement with codes and viewed
them as a useful tool for negotiation with employers. The principle
concern of the women workers was the implementation of the codes
and the second was lack of worker organisation in the export processing
industry.
The main areas that should be contained in a code of conduct
are: banning of verbal and physical abuse, help with child care,
help with housing, non discrimination, equal salaries for equal
work, maternity rights, the right to use the social security services,
the right to a healthy and dignified working environment, help
from the companies for transport, the right to training and education.
With regard to salaries in the free trade zones this is decided
through tripartite (government, trade unions & employers)
negotiation . Therefore "codes do not represent any danger
to salary levels"
The women workers said that it is necessary to improve the efficiency
of the Labour Ministry in resolving labour conflicts and in inspecting
factories. For example during inspection women workers are not
consulted unless it is in the presence of the employer.
In relation to working conditions the major concern of workers
is the correct payment of over time and the necessity to adequately
normalise overtime to avoid very long working hours, weekend work
and obligatory overtime.
The workers thought that monitoring and verification could be
done through worker surveys, research and announced and unannounced
visits to the factory. The workers expressed their interest in
knowing what the indicators for monitoring were for social auditing
companies that are carrying out monitoring.
The workers considered it very important that monitors should
consult with all the social actors who are working for the promotion
of women's rights and especially those working with women workers.
The women workers suggested that a mass publicity campaign should
be organised stressing the importance of codes of conduct and
monitoring and verification.
One point that was emphasised was in relation to campaigns and
international boycotts. Care must be taken with campaigns as they
can result in factory closure and loss of employment for the workers.
International support is important but the true actors are the
women and men workers.
Finally it was mentioned that care must be taken with North/South
relations as problems that originate in the North can be transferred
to the South and have a negative impact on the work being carried
out to support women workers in the export processing industry.
Marina Rios from MAM, Sandra Ramos, from MEC, and MEC's press
officer at the Regional Workshop on codes of conduct.
Mexico
Mexico: Women's Centre Factor"X" Casa de la Mujer
"Factor X"
Factor "X" is a non-governmental organisation, which
began ten years ago. It is a collective of feminist women. It
was set up to provide a space for meeting, training and promoting
organisation for the defence of women's human rights, particularly
women workers in the export processing zones.
In Mexico three workshops were carried out with 6 women workers
who have their own sewing workshop which is sub contracted by
a large company.
For the majority of the women workers this was the first time
they had been in a workshop. They had not heard of company codes
of conduct previously and therefore it was difficult for them
to decide what points they should contain. However, they stated
that they should contain fair treatment, a good salary, medical
consultation for pregnant women, social security payments, health
protection, flexible working hours, just rights for long term
workers, job security, child care centres, and a fair pension.
In relation to monitoring the participants thought if there was
a trade union in the factory they should carry it out or a representative
workers commission. They highlighted the importance of workers
being aware of their labour rights and codes of conduct.
Women maquila workers who participated in the workshops organised
by Factor X in Tijuana, Mexico.
The Dominican Republic
The Dominican Republic: Trade Union Federation for Workers in
the Free Trade Zones Federacion Unitaria de Trabajadores de las
Zonas Francas, FUTRAZONA
FUTRAZONA is a trade union federation established in 1982. Most
of the members and leaders are women, 80% and 95% respectively.
Through its work FUTRAZONA helps to develop female workers' skills
in management, leadership and negotiation with the aim to increase
their influence in decision making processes. They also provide
training in human rights and labour legislation.
The export processing industry is the main source of employment
and the second largest source of foreign currency for the Dominican
Republic.
Codes of conduct is an area which is quite new. FUTRAZONA started
to promote codes of conduct about a year and a half ago with the
workers and with the companies. FUTRAZONA has looked at the differences
in working conditions in factories where codes are in existence
and where there are not. The first point to make is that the majority
of workers are not aware of whether their factory has a code or
not. The companies have the codes stuck to the walls in English
and although workers have requested copies of the codes there
has been much resistance by the companies to provide these.
Working conditions are generally better in the factories that
have codes than in those that do not. However, verbal abuse remains
at similar levels in both. However, the workers do not associate
their relative good conditions with the existence of the code,
probably because they are unaware of the fact that the company
has one.
The workshops on codes of conduct took place in February, March
and April this year. In the first place workers expressed concern
that codes of conduct may be an obstacle to organising, however,
later on in the workshop they concluded that codes were useful
in making complaints and this could be more effective than a denouncement
to a labour tribunal. Codes do not have the force of law but have
another strength that is very important.
Opinions were divided over monitoring. It was agreed that monitors
should be residents of the country where they are carrying out
the monitoring, they must be independent groups and have the endorsement
of both the workers and employers associations. The participants
said that it is not so important for workers to carry out the
monitoring, as long as it is carried out by organisations that
they trust.
