IUF Women’s Committee: No to gender-based violence!

The last IUF Women’s Committee meeting took place in Geneva on April 1, 2019 and was attended by some forty participants, including the President of the International Domestic Workers Federation (IDWF). Among the subjects discussed in a full agenda, the members of the Women’s Committee underlined the need for the affiliated trade unions to implement the agreements on the prevention of sexual harassment signed by the IUF with major transnational companies. They also commended the IUF for the conclusion of a joint commitment with the Spanish hotel chain Meliá, a first in the sector. The participants further underlined the need for unions to target barriers to the employment of women and to work with companies to encourage the recruitment of women.

The Committee urged affiliates to put pressure on their respective governments to ensure that they support the ILO blue report during the International Labour Conference 2019, to inform the IUF of any change in their government’s position and to provide examples of policies applied by small and medium-sized enterprises on violence and harassment.

The need to adopt a gender-based approach to health and safety at work was also discussed and approved by the Committee. A specific document on this subject will be produced by the Secretariat to offer useful guidance to affiliates.