Sep-Oct 2008

Women@Work: Events

Sisterhood across the Tasman

Women of the Waterfront Seminar Rotarua - New Zealand - Aug 2006

The main focus of the MUNZ women's seminar was to evaluate the role of women workers in the waterfront industry with the view to broadening their involvement within the industry.

Workshops enabled the women to examine the barriers for women working on the waterfront, as well as identifying reasons why some employers do not have women working on the waterfront. Through education the women learnt why it is important to encourage more women onto the waterfront, and to provide new entrants, and existing, with the knowledge and skills to enable them to develop strategies for increasing involvement in their workplace, through health and safety committee's, branch committee's and as health and safety reps.

Learning the true value and the importance of working with other women to identify problem solving processes and help to resolve workplace issues.
Michelle Mackay and Karen Leavy represented the MUA at this MUNZ women's seminar and they co-presented a session on becoming active and then how to take it the next step further. Michelle spoke on her involvement since the women's conference in Melbourne in July and Karen pointed out the value and the importance in regular conference's so as to identify and to bring out amazing activists.

It brings new members into the network and increases the coverage across industries... it creates new avenues through the varying and diverse connections that women can have, and seemingly overshadowing existing barriers due to the fact that women have not been considered or included as part of the workforce.
Therefore it is of high importance to educate young women about the other careers that are available to them. And it is paramount that regular education seminars and conferences are held to educate and activate the women already in our industries, but in future sessions we will need to include the whole membership to make it a more inclusive and more encompassing education - getting the views from both sides, and learning from there....developing resolutions from men and women and moving forward together.

So, in summary;

a) Women are growing in numbers on our wharves and on our ships.

b) MUNZ women see the need for organization and are beginning the process of formalizing their section of the MUNZ membership.

c) Education plays a key role in not only empowering our women, but our men as well.

d) The importance of protecting the family unit is a key purpose.

e) That women are hungry and are wanting to join in and fight in a way that is a new chapter for women in the fight for workers rights.

f) Learn the importance of why the need to activate women is so important to the progressing of unions into the next chapter of the struggle.

g) The need for the women of MUNZ and the MUA to share education and experiences to become living proof to the general public that how the media constantly uses outdated negative images of unions is no longer the face of unions today.

h) To be seen as contributing and valuable members of the workplace and as members of our unions.

i) The importance to start future seminars that are inclusive of men as well, so we here both gender views, and can look to address the points of view of men and women from both mars and venus. With both genders bargaining for family friendly provisions and better rosters it will give us a louder voice for more issues.

I will finish this report off with the views and ideas of those women who attended the seminar. These have been taken directly from the group exercises that were conducted at the training centre. I would like to thank the Maritime Union of New Zealand for the invitation to attend this seminar, and feel the need for more of our women to be involved in future trips across the Tasman and likewise the need for the inclusion of MUNZ women at future women's conferences of the MUA.

Maritime sisters here to stay, Maritime Workers in every way.

"The women who attended the MUNZ 'involving women in the waterfront industry' would like to see equality, a more permanent contract for more employee's working on the wharf, more education for women in the workplace, lockers for every person, taking allocated breaks, fairness, more women, better amenities, more permanent conditions - stop casualisation, in house training, and better communications between permanents and casuals.

Feedback received from the women revealed the improvement of self confidence through knowledge of union structures, ability to continually squeak, content enlightening, shared stories, informative, Time management, barriers/issues, aspects and roles, learning all about the unions goals, unity as one, long journey, final destination, arrival, o is for awesome, women are the glue - when women win the world wins or the community wins, great unity for women, fun, loved what the Aussies brought to the conference to share with us. Same issues - enlightening way of looking at issues, squeak more, find out date/times for meetings etc, squeak, squeak, squeak.""

By Karen Leavy

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