In India, food sector corporations are following the trend to recruit more women workers but failing to provide safe, secure, and sustainable employment to women workers. Like some major companies are proudly announcing their plans of high number of women workers in their units like Coca Cola at Sanand 66%, Nestle at Sanand 62%, ITC at Medak 50%, AB InBev at Aurangabad 50%, and Ferrero Baramati 33%.
Some companies started the recruitment without any consultation of workers representatives and due diligence and hence, it is failing miserably and leaving women workers with no alternatives other than resigning from work. Many of these women workers are the first generation of industrial workers and failure of these companies to ensure strict implementation of their own policies, impact a large section of women workers in long term. Without sufficient consultation with all stakeholders and trainings, retaining these women workers is going to be very challenging.
In judgement of the honorable Supreme Court of India said there are serious lapse and uncertainty in the implementation of the Protection of Women for Sexual Harassment (PoSH) Act, leaving many working women no choice but to leave their jobs. Indian PoSH act mandates that every employer must form an internal complaint committee at each workplace that has 10 or more employees.
In one of the instances, women workers recruited by labour hire agency in one of major multinational corporation in India reported Sexual Harassment complaints against company HR Executive. Instead of fair investigation, company failed to take any immediate action which helped accused to misuse his authority. Finally, women had to approach the local police station to ensure her safety and justice.
This is not the first incidence and certainly not the last. In the absence of an independent & democratic strong union, women workers especially in precarious employment may continue to suffer.
In one of the major beer sector multinational company manufacturing sites in Maharashtra India, the company ensured gender balance in recruitment but even after five years, due diligence failed to ensure women workers safety through basic amenities like door-to-door transport, separate changing room, hygienic water & sanitation facility.
Image 1: IUF Asia Pacific Educational Training of Young Workers in Maharashtra, India.
All these incidences are self-explanatory in nature to help unions understand that in the absence of their active involvement, all these important policies including related to gender balance & workplace safety are bound to fail and have catastrophic implications.
IUF Action Program for Equality 2023-2027 calls on affiliates and on the IUF itself to make urgent progress and priorities work including preventing and eliminating gender-based violence and harassment. 3rd IUF Asia Pacific Regional Women’s Conference passed resolution which mandates to focus on more women in better paid, skilled, and secure jobs.
IUF Affiliates in India negotiated collective bargaining agreement in Ferrero company site, to form an women workers committee to resolve women workers concerns in the plant and converting precarious employment into permanent employment. Other affiliates in India continues to focus on gender equality and working together with the companies to ensure gender balance.
Despite these legislations, committees & company policies, due to unilateral approach of companies, there remains a significant and important journey ahead to safe, secure, and sustainable employment for these women workers.