Empowerment of women through trade unions

Muscat: Equal pay, child care, and maternity protection are among the issues recently discussed by women’s committees at the General Federation of Oman Trade Union.
The discussions came as a part of workshops focusing on the theme, “Empowerment and Development of Women’s Committees Working in Trade Unions.”
The workshop was organised by the GFOTU, from October 21 to 23, 2018, and was represented by the Working Women’s Committee, in cooperation with the Norwegian Trade Union Federation.
Nabhan Al Batashi, chairman of the General Federation of Oman Trade Unions, stressed the importance of unions in the empowerment and development of working women by motivating, encouraging and training women to deal positively with all labour issues.
Regarding the workshop, Zulikha Al Shizawia, Secretary of the Sohar University Union Fund said, “The workshop was meaningful. We enjoyed hearing about many programmes that benefit trade union work. It was also great to learn from the experience of other trade unions.”
According to the federation, the participation of women in trade union activity has witnessed remarkable progress.
The aim of the workshops includes identifying obstacles to women’s participation in trade union activities, the empowerment of women and the recognition of international standards and conventions on women.
The first day of the workshop included discussing the weak representation of women in trade unions.
The second day covered the international legal framework for collective bargaining, including equal pay and benefits and family promotion policies, including child care and maternity protection, setting working hours, providing occupational safety and health measures, and establishing procedures to protect workers from all forms of violence.
Commenting on the workshops, Hala Al Hanai, a member of the General Assembly of the Oman and UAE Exchange Workers’ Syndicate, said, “The workshop was very enriching, as I benefited from many things I was oblivious to, regarding women’s rights in the workplace.”
The third day of the workshops included teamwork and practical training for all participants.
“The seminar is very important for strengthening the capacity of women in women’s committees, and training them about how to integrate their issues within trade union committees, such as the youth committee, international relations, and others, to become part of the General Federation’s general plans,” said trainer Mona Ezzat.