BAHAMA JOURNAL
9th November 2006
More Female Trade Union Leadership Urged
The advocacy for women to play a greater leadership role in the trade union movement continued yesterday, as local and international labour leaders sought to map out a strategy that would address the challenge.
Although women account for 63 percent of the membership of local trade unions, only five percent of them are actual leaders, according to the President of the National Congress of Trade Unions Pat Bain.
"It’s hardly a situation of equity," said Paula Robinson, senior specialist of the International Labour Organization’s sub-regional office for the Caribbean.
"The challenge for women in the trade union movement is one where many women do not join trade unions because they do not see themselves reflected in the movement. The trade union movement is often seen as a bastion of male dominance," she added.
Ms. Robinson was the featured speaker on the first day of the two-day women’s seminar.
Currently, the female labour leaders include: Carmen Kemp, president of the Bahamas Utilities Services and Allied Workers Union; Ida Poitier, president of the Bahamas Union of Teachers; Jennifer Dotson, president of the Union of Tertiary Educators of the Bahamas; Nellerene Harding, president of the Airport Airline and Allied Workers Union and Theresa Mortimer, president of the Bahamas Financial Services Union.
The gathering provided a platform for the analysis of the challenges related to increased female leadership participation. Its goal was to educate women in the trade union movement as they prepare to emerge as leaders.
Ms. Mortimer proffered that women members of trade unions are not inclined to support female leadership candidates. But nonetheless, she remained confident that more women leaders would emerge.
"We have a deputy prime minister who is a woman," she said. "We are looking hopefully one day to have a prime minister who is a woman because we really feel that women have something to offer. As far as we are concerned, we are equal to our men power."
Yesterday, the seminar addressed issues of leadership, the challenges for women, their legal rights and the role of women in trade unions.
Ms. Robinson explained that historically the trade union movement was characterized by blue collar male workers, which is what officials now want to change in earnest.
"So we are now in this age where if you are a member of an organization, you should also be reflected in the leadership because the leadership is part of the profile of the organization… women have to move from behind the scenes and give voice to present the profile," she said.
Education was billed as essential in efforts to change the status quo.