Gender Policy 

1.         PREAMBLE

We, through this policy document commit ourselves to promote gender awareness and sensitivity in our union, workplaces and society.

In order to improve as an organisation on issues of gender equality we should set a target for ourselves and be based on a quota system of 70% - 30% without undermining the democratic processes with regard to elections.

2.         AIMS AND OBJECTIVES

• To eradicate gender inequality
• To build a culture of gender sensitivity within the union
• To assist in building women leadership within the union
• To fight and break the barrier and chauvinism that exists in the union and workplaces
• To encourage and empower women to participate in all union structures
• To assist women to build self confidence in dealing and handling union issues as their counter part male comrades, through intensive training program

3.         STRUCTURE

The structure shall be known as the Gender Forum. The forum shall fall under the national education desk.

The National Gender Coordinator who is a full time union official shall head the National Gender desk.

Desks and Forums shall be formed and established at the following levels;

• National
• Provincial
• Regional
• Branch
• Local where applicable

All gender desks shall be headed by gender coordinators at various levels and all forums shall have committees at gender forums comprising of the following persons;

• Chairperson
• Deputy Chairperson
• Secretary
• Deputy Secretary
• Co-ordinators (with an exception of the national gender co-ordinator) shall be elected at relevant constitutional congress meetings.
• The National Gender Forum shall be the supreme governing body of all gender forums in the union.

4.         MEETINGS

Forums

National Gender Forum shall be convened once in a year and be constituted by the National Gender Committee, National Education Officer, National Gender Co-ordinator, Provincial Gender Co-ordinators and Provincial Gender Committee Chairperson and Administrators.

Provincial Gender forums shall be held twice per annum

Regional gender forums shall meet once a month

5.         DUTIES OF THE GENDER COMMITTEE

• To carry out duties and activities of the desk on a daily basis
• To monitor the progress of the desk and forums
• To represent the union on issues that deal with the desk at all levels
• To draft a program of action for the desk as well as the operating budget
• To implement resolutions reached at the union meetings
• To give report to relevant forums and mandate taken from them.

6.         ELECTIONS

All gender committees’ elections shall be done at relevant various gender meetings level. 

Elections shall be done through mutual agreement of the forum meetings either by show of hands or balloting.

6.1       OFFICE TERM

Office term of all gender committees shall be the same as to that of constitutional committees’ office term at various constitutional levels.

6.2       RESOURCES

Pall resources allocated and requested for the gender desks and forums shall be solemnly be used to promote and furthering the interest of the desk and shall be accounted for to the relevant financial structures of the union in full.

The union shall provide resources to the desk at various levels as in other departments of the union.

7.         POSITION ON:

7.1  CHILD CARE FACILITIES

We shall strive for the establishment of child care facilities at workplaces as well as in the union meetings

7.2  CHILD LABOUR

Irrespective of the compelling factors that forces a child to seek for employment at a young tender age. We are vehemently opposed to child labour as it contributes towards high rate of world illiteracy and juvenile delinquency. We support the international ban on child labour as well as its age restriction of 16 years upwards.

7.3  PARENTAL RIGHTS

Parental rights should be extended to both female and male being parents of the child whether married or unmarried, to attend to the child’s / children’s needs.

7.4  MATERNITY LEAVE

We support the campaign to fight for the six months maternity leave.

7.5  PATERNITY LEAVE

We need to fight for 10 days paternity leave

7.6  SEXUAL HARASSMENT

Because sexual harassment is humiliating and defamatory to one’s character, we oppose it in all its different manifestations and align ourselves and support COSATU’s sexual harassment code of conduct document.

8.      INTERNATIONAL RELATIONSHIP

We shall work towards the establishment of bilateral relationship with other local and international women movements that fight for gender equality.

9.      ECONOMY

The growth of the country’s economy relies on the majority of men and this should be reserved and balanced by embarking on an intensive training and re-training program on women to equip them with professions and skills that will enable them to contribute to the growth of the country’s economy effectively.

1. WOMEN AND CULTURE

We support and stand firm behind any culture that is gender sensitive and do not promote violation of human rights through sexual discrimination.

1. CAMPAIGNS

1. All women’s days celebrations shall be observed by the union every year.
2. The union shall observe all campaigns and activities against women abuse.