Closing statement

Women in labor market conference

(Women in work)

 

THURSDAY, 6 NOVEMBER, 2008

Based on the results deduced from the first distinguished stage of the field study around the effect of structural adaptation policies on the work circumstances surrounding the Egyptian female workers, we concluded the following:
• An increase in recent years in the number of female workers in different industries. This increase is accompanied by many forms of violations, including: working without any guarantees, forbidding any chance for promotion or training, discharging arbitrarly, being exposed to forms of harassment, discrimination and pressure
• Public policies help in allowing for violations against female workers
• women participating in protest movements playing the role of a partner besides men. ( not sure what this means)
Building on all the above, we call the different parties to be responsible as follows:

• the government :
• To Work according to the international criteria for labor and to activate sponsorship mechanisms. ( what are sponsorship mechanisms?_)
• To Expand the legal protection to include all female workers in Egypt.
• To List special articles in law which serve to protect women from the violations they exposed to in work.
• The Media:
• To unite with Egypt’s female workers through exposing women’s issues in general, and the concerns of marginalized groups in particular
• To highlight the existing contrast between local laws and international conventions to which Egypt is a party to, in accordance with the assigned role of the media in shaping public awareness.
• To expose the violations women workers are subjected to, especially outside Cairo and with do not get enough media coverage .
• Political Parties:
• To make women’s issues part of their parties’ agenda
• To Pressure parliamentarians circles to activate the international conventions and criteria in work laws.

• Labor Syndicates:
• To find effective syndicate mechanisms to raise workers demands, which includes those involved in temporary and irregular labor.
• Civil Society:
• To support female workers and help them realize their rights.
• To provide legal and psychological support to workers.
• To Form observation units and mechanisms to monitor the violations women are exposed to at work, issuing reports and widely spread them.

Other Links

 - Why the Campaign Unit for the NWF?

- The NGOs campaign to advocate Freedom of Organization

- NWF adopts the first lawsuit against sexual harassment

- Call for solidarity and support

- Telemisr workers’ strike over the firing of Karima Farag, their representative in the contributor union (federation) of work