Feminist and labour movements in HK: critical and co-constructive

1. Feminist and labour movements in HK: critical and co-constructive Women’’s Empower, Gender Equality and Labour Rights: Transforming the Terrain Sally Choi Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions 2013-7-30, San Paulo

2. About myself

3. outline • The story of a founder, Ms. Yim of working women association • Insights: Critical voices from women’s leaders and the movement • The recent campaign against sexual violence at workplace • Insights: cooperation between feminist movement and the trade union. • Transforming the terrains: internal and external support; individual and collective leadership

4. YIM YUET LIN 1989 found Hong Kong Women Workers Association (HKWWA)—1st organisation for the rights of women worker

5. A book project for the 15th anniversary of HKWWA “Factory, Kitchen and Refuse Room: 15 years of Women Workers Movement in HK”

6. Unions development Before 1970s • Before the 1970s, • unions in HK • pro-Chinese Community Party (CCP) unions (the leftist), • pro-Kuomintang unions (the ruling party of Taiwan at the time, also known as the rightist unions) • some unions with a neutral background (such as the civil servants’ unions). Yim was an electronic factory worker

7. Rise of social movement in 1980s • 1974 a church based organisation HK Christian Industrial Committee (HKCIC) started intervening labour disputes • 1984, HKCIC-Trade union education center • 1984, Association for the Advancement of Feminism (AAF) set up • Yim joined HKCIC and AAF study groups

8. Conflicts on maternity leave Cannot unit all the workers • Yim left HKCIC Not the top priority for advocacy among alliance of labour activists

9. 1982 • Amendment on Employment Ordinance in HK • 2/3 paid for 10 weeks maternity leave

10. Mid 1980s

11. HKWWA 1989-- Concerning the rights of causal workers which are majority women workers Mother’s Day action: Caring support and subsidies for workers

12. Yim-Women worker leader • - strong fighter • - transforming the labour rights advocacy • - transforming the union movement

13. Women specific union/organisation • The reproductive role and contribution of women workers were not well recognised even among unionists in early days. • The base and voices of women workers’ association are small but critical. • gender specific labour issues and create social discourse

14. Self-organizing->Cooperation -> Alliance building

15. Women self-organised

16. Campaign againViolence against Women at workplace

17. Loophole in the Law • Sex Discrimination Ordinance in 1995 (SDO) prohibit sexual harassment • No clause in SDO to prohibit customer conduct sexual harassment against service, goods and facilities providers • Employees at service, retail industry are not protected by SDO !

18. A SURVEY ON SEXUAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AT WORKPLACE IN 2013 80 % female workers in catering industry encountered sexual harassment at workplace

19. Sexual violence issuse for DWs

20. Outcomes • - reform in legislation in 2014 • - public attention • - women’s issues to social issues

21. Alliance Building

22. Women’s solidarity and capacity building • provides more opportunities for leadership growth and support for female unionists who committed to integrate gender equality at labour movement. • External supports to women unionist in federation

23. Factors affecting women’s situation and ongoing battle • Lack of working hours regulation • Collective bargaining

24. Alliance Building for the rights of part-time workers Employment Ordinance only cover those with “continuous employment” i.e. being employed for 4 or more consecutive weeks and each week working for 18 or more hours (4-1-18). There is an ongoing campaign to amend the law so to cover part-time and causal workers.