: Recovery packages during the economic crisis need to take into account the impact on women and men and integrate gender concerns in all measures, said Tine Staermose, Director and ILO representative in India.
Speaking at the International Women's Day centenary celebrations organised here on Tuesday by the ILO, she said “In all discussions on recovery packages, both regarding their design and assessing their success, women must have an equal voice with men.” Reiterating the importance of the message for this year's International Women's Day “Making crisis recovery work for women” she said that women in the informal sector were affected the most.
The national trade unions in the State are very active in addressing workers' issues and have recently adopted a common trade union policy on addressing gender equality and gender mainstreaming, she added.
Ms.Staermose stressed the need for government support for adoption of ILO Convention on Domestic Work, which would be tabled at the International Labour Conference in June. Senior specialist on workers' activities ILO-New Delhi Ariel B.Castro said that women were still being denied the right to join trade unions and collective bargaining.
A charter of demands on working women's issues and challenges was also submitted to the State government by the Tamil Nadu Trade Unions Joint Action Forum.
The demands pertain to job creation, informal economy, equal wages for equal work, enforcement of labour legislation, implementation of guidelines on sexual harassment at workplace, suitable legislations for protection of domestic workers, minimum wages for all sectors, bringing to an end the exploitation of rural women in the textile industry in Tamil Nadu and implementing all provisions of labour laws for the IT sector.
An exhibition of the products made by women SHGs and those in the unorganised sector was organised as part of the function.
The exhibition also highlighted various issues faced by women workers in all the districts in the State.
