   |
||
| Issue No 95 |  |
11 May 2001 |
|
|
|
NewsAsian Women at Work: Daring To ActBy Alison Peters
On Wednesday 18 Vietnamese women outworkers came to Parliament House in Sydney for the launch of the report "Daring to Act". This alone was enough to demonstrate the success of a project to establish a Vietnamese Women Outworkers Network. The project was undertaken by Asian Women at Work (AWAW) in partnership with the Vietnamese Women's Association and with the support of the Textile Clothing and Footwear Union (TCFUA). The report points out that "outworkers are often strong gutsy women who are trapped at home, isolated and misinformed. For many, the migration experience has brought with it a change of personality as assertive women struggle to make themselves understood and struggle to understand the world around them. Experiences en route to Australia have also instilled fear and mistrust in many". The establishment of a network for these women was seen as a way to address this sense of isolation and to build their confidence both individually and collectively to deal with the issues confronting them. Key elements of the project were identifying ways to make contact with outworkers, identifying their issues of concern and establishing activities to bring the workers together in groups. The TCFUA worked with AWAW to deliver a Workplace English Language and Literacy (WELL) class to network members and also an Assessors program that qualifies workers to assess the technical skills of other outworkers so that these can be formally recognized. These activities have seen the establishment of a network of 80 women who through different group activities have been, in their own words, daring to speak out about their working conditions. They have developed strong relationships with each other and have become confident to do many things they would never have dreamed of doing a year ago such as speaking in public, taking up issues with their local council and traveling into the city to take part in Fair Wear rallies. The report recommends that the approach used in this project be adopted and adapted for other outworker communities. It is an interesting model for unions to consider both as a way to work with community organizations and with workers from diverse cultural backgrounds. This inspiring project demonstrates quite clearly the strength workers have when they work together on resolving their issues. This strength doesn't stop with the workplace. It allows ordinary people to take some control over their lives. AWAW should be congratulated for this report on the project. Our biggest congratulations must, however, go the Vietnamese women who make up the network because they have dared to act. Copies of the report are available from Asian Women at Work. They can be contacted by email at [email protected]
|
   Interview: Geek GuysTwo of the union movement�s pioneers in new technology, Peter Ross and Mark McGrath, chew the fat about wired unionism and virtual politics. Compo: Costa�s Angels Behind the spotlight of the workers comp campaign four women trade union officials have been burning the midnight oil to protect injured workers. Legal: View from the BenchCompensation Court judge and former Attorney-General, Frank Walker, argues the Della Bosca workers comp reforms are a threat to judicial independence. International: Timor: Time for the TruthHT Lee was in Dili when the militas ran rampage. Now he wants the truth to come out. History: True BelieversFrank Bongiorno looks at the origins of the Australian Labor Party, which celebrated its centenary of Caucus this week. Corporate: Trust Me, I�m a Multi-National!BHP unions have united across the factions to urge �No� vote on the planned Billiton merger. Unions: AWAs � A Doomed Future?ACTU Assistant Secretary Richard Marles plays clairvoyant and predicts a dismal future for AWAs. Satire: Bush Defends One China Policy - Then Another China Policy, Then Another ....President Bush today announced a major change to the United States� policy of �strategic ambiguity� towards the status of Taiwan and its One China policy. Review: Surviving SurvivorWorkers Online's Reality TV correspondent Mark Morey rakes over the coals of the Survivor II result.
Notice Board View entire latest issue
|
|||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||||
|
|
![[ Home ]](/images/nv_home.gif){kind=small} ![[ Notice Board ]](/images/nv_board.gif){kind=small} ![[ Search ]](/images/nv_search.gif){kind=small} ![[ Previous Issues ]](/images/nv_previous.gif){kind=small} ![[ Latest Issue ]](/images/nv_latest.gif){kind=small} |
|
|
|
|
© 1999-2000 Labor Council of NSW LaborNET is a resource for the labour movement provided by the Labor Council of NSW URL: http://workers.labor.net.au/95/news4_women.htmlLast Modified: 15 Nov 2005 [ Privacy Statement | Disclaimer | Credits ] LaborNET is proudly created, designed and programmed by Social Change Online for the Labor Council of NSW |
|
![[Workers Online]](/images/logo_small.gif){kind=logo}
![[Social Change Online]](/images/sco_logo.gif){kind=logo}