BWI women leaders adopt 4-year action plan to further advance gender equality

BWI’s International Women`s Committee (IWC), comprised of women trade union leaders from Europe, Asia-Pacific, Latin America and Africa, met on 31 May for its first meeting this year. The women leaders discussed and adopted a global action plan for the next four years and shared the latest developments and initiatives from their respective regions since BWI’s Global Congress last year.   

“This was our first International Women`s Committee (IWC) meeting after our Congress in Madrid. I am very proud of all the members of our committee who dedicated their efforts to develop a comprehensive action plan for our work for the next four years. Now it is time for us to implement it,” IWC Chair Marta Pujadas said. 

Pujadas, who hailed from UOCRA in Argentina, said that BWI affiliates in different countries have already started to implement BWI’s strategic plan to mainstream gender equality in all the BWI convergences. In Latin America, BWI affiliates, as part of their preparations for the regional conference, submitted a resolution to develop the “Stop Macho Culture Campaign” in the region. Meanwhile, BWI affiliates in Pan Europe committed to help their Latin American colleagues mount the said campaign by sharing knowledge and experience on their recent campaigns. 

The development of a comprehensive gender analytical framework applicable to all of BWI’s actions and events is also one of the main goals for the next four years. It is part of BWI’s efforts to mainstream gender equality in all the areas of its work, such as climate justice, migration, occupational health and safety, and the future of work. 

Last 8 March, BWI’s IWC led this year’s celebration of International Women’s Day. Carrying the theme “Women for Fair Transition,” trade unions, led by women leaders, from 51 countries asserted that the climate crisis impacts negatively women workers and further promote gender inequality. BWI’s women leaders called on women workers to take part in the climate justice discussions and debates, and ensure that their unions include gender issues in all of their fair transition programs.