Women Fight for Safe Workplaces

01/12/22 • 31 min

What does it take to make the workplace safe for women, free from sexual harassment and gender-based violence? What are some of the ways women have won improvements, and how did they build their power to do this?

In this episode:

A union in Indonesia declares an industrial park a ‘harassment free zone’: Dian Septi Trisnanti, FBLP, Indonesia
An Enforceable Brand Agreement aims to end severe gender-based violence in factories in Lesotho: Motheba Ramaema & Sam Mokhele, NACTWU, Rola Abimourched, WRC.
Rukmini tells her story of becoming a union founder, and why more women need to lead worker struggles: Rukmini, GLU, India
Campaigns to ratify ILO Convention 190 on Violence and Harassment: Priscilla Robledo, CCC Italy and Sina Marx, FEMNET, Germany

Please tell us what inspired you about this show, and share your feedback, comments and questions, by emailing: [email protected]

Speakers:

Dian Septi Trisnanti, founder of FBLP union (Federasi Buruh Lintas Pabrik) , Chairperson of KPBI union, Indonesia
Motheba Ramaema, shop steward, National Clothing, Textile and Allied Workers Union, Lesotho
Sam Mokhele, General Secretary, National Clothing, Textile and Allied Workers Union, Lesotho
Rola Abimourched, Senior Program Director at the Worker Rights Consortium, USA.
Rukmini Vaderapura Puttaswamy, President of Garment Labour Union (GLU), Bangalore.
Priscilla Robeldo, campaigner and lobby and advocacy coordinator with CCC Italy.
Sina Marx, Coordinator International Projects and Campaigns, FEMNET, Germany.

Host: Febriana Firdaus (febrianafirdaus.com)
Field Reporter: Harsha Vadlamani

Interpreter: Kaveri
Sound Engineering Support: Steve Adam (www.spectrosonics.com.au)
Producer: Matthew Abud
Clean Clothes Podcast Team: Anne Dekker, Johnson Ching-Yin Yeung, Liz Parker, Tanne de Goei

Full Transcript

DIAN:

When we built our union in 2009, most of us, the officers, are women. And we have the same vision for the equality and also fight against GBV. We have method in organise women workers as women.

HOST:

That’s Dian Septi Trisnanti, one of the founders of the Forum Buruh Lintas Pabrik union, or FBLP in Indonesia.

Welcome to episode two of the Clean Clothes podcast. I’m Febriana Firdaus.

This time, we’re talking women workers – about the violence and harassment they often endure

And some ways of building power and fighting back.

In 2014 Dian’s union joined with other organisations, to promote women’s rights in a large industrial park in North Jakarta, Indonesia.

DIAN:

There are two union, one women’s organisation, and Jakarta Legal Aid, become one alliance in the women worker committee, to struggle against GBV, gender based violence. We have two programs, the first program is to install warning board that the industrial park is free from Gender Based Violence or sexual harassment.

HOST:

The warning board was a large sign that announced the industrial park was a zone free of gender-based violence and harassment.

It was part of a strategy to raise the profile and awareness of this as an issue for workers.

And of course, as a warning to any perpetrators.

DIAN:

The industrial park, KBN Cakung, in North Jakarta, agreed to install the warning board in 2016 on November, it’s the international day against women violence.

HOST:

Dian also directed a documentary film, Angka Jadi Suara, which followed this effort.

The film shows the effort behind the campaign. This included lobbying the management of the industrial park, and the Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection.

At the centre of the film though, is the workers – and the sexual harassment and gender-based violence they experience.

DIAN:

There were one person, one woman, who want to tell the story. This women, my friend yeah, she has a trauma. The interview takes about five hours and we have to stop about one hour just to give her time to stop and then take a breath and then take a break. And after that I asked to her if she want to stop then we will stop. But she said that she will not stop because if not now, then when? And after the documentary finish the first person that we give the edited version is her.

HOST:

The documentary had a number of public screenings, and...

In this episode:

A union in Indonesia declares an industrial park a ‘harassment free zone’: Dian Septi Trisnanti, FBLP, Indonesia
An Enforceable Brand Agreement aims to end severe gender-based violence in factories in Lesotho: Motheba Ramaema & Sam Mokhele, NACTWU, Rola Abimourched, WRC.
Rukmini tells her story of becoming a union founder, and why more women need to lead worker struggles: Rukmini, GLU, India
Campaigns to ratify ILO Convention 190 on Violence and Harassment: Priscilla Robledo, CCC Italy and Sina Marx, FEMNET, Germany

Please tell us what inspired you about this show, and share your feedback, comments and questions, by emailing: [email protected]

Speakers:

Host: Febriana Firdaus (febrianafirdaus.com)
Field Reporter: Harsha Vadlamani

Interpreter: Kaveri
Sound Engineering Support: Steve Adam (www.spectrosonics.com.au)
Producer: Matthew Abud
Clean Clothes Podcast Team: Anne Dekker, Johnson Ching-Yin Yeung, Liz Parker, Tanne de Goei

Full Transcript

DIAN:

When we built our union in 2009, most of us, the officers, are women. And we have the same vision for the equality and also fight against GBV. We have method in organise women workers as women.

HOST:

That’s Dian Septi Trisnanti, one of the founders of the Forum Buruh Lintas Pabrik union, or FBLP in Indonesia.

Welcome to episode two of the Clean Clothes podcast. I’m Febriana Firdaus.

This time, we’re talking women workers – about the violence and harassment they often endure

And some ways of building power and fighting back.

In 2014 Dian’s union joined with other organisations, to promote women’s rights in a large industrial park in North Jakarta, Indonesia.

DIAN:

HOST:

The warning board was a large sign that announced the industrial park was a zone free of gender-based violence and harassment.

It was part of a strategy to raise the profile and awareness of this as an issue for workers.

And of course, as a warning to any perpetrators.

DIAN:

The industrial park, KBN Cakung, in North Jakarta, agreed to install the warning board in 2016 on November, it’s the international day against women violence.

HOST:

Dian also directed a documentary film, Angka Jadi Suara, which followed this effort.

The film shows the effort behind the campaign. This included lobbying the management of the industrial park, and the Ministry of Women Empowerment and Child Protection.

At the centre of the film though, is the workers – and the sexual harassment and gender-based violence they experience.

DIAN:

HOST:

The documentary had a number of public screenings, and...

Previous Episode

Cracking Corporate Impunity

In this episode, our contributors reflect on laws and regulations for holding brands and retailers accountable for violations of worker rights in the factories that supply them, including:

Nayla Ajaltouni from Collectif Ethique sur L'Etiquette in France tells how campaigners succeeded in getting the first law protecting human rights in supply chains passed in France – and how this law might set a European precedent for stronger worker rights protection.
Nasir Mansoor from NTUF in Pakistan reflects on the experience of using legal mechanisms to hold KiK accountable for the Ali Enterprises fire.
Muriel Treibich from the CCC International Office introduces human rights due diligence and presents opportunities including the European Supply Chain.
Scott Nova from WRC in the USA highlights the closing of a loophole means the section of the US Tariff Act that prohibits companies importing goods made with forced labour could be enforced.

Please tell us what inspired you about this show, and share your feedback, comments and questions, by emailing: [email protected]

Speakers:

Nayla Ajaltouni, Coordinator, Collectif Ethique sur L’Etiquette, France

Nasir Mansoor, General Secretary, NTUF (National Trade Union Federation), Pakistan

Muriel Treibich, Lobby and Advocacy Coordinator, Clean Clothes Campaign International Office, Netherlands

Scott Nova, Executive Director, Worker Rights Consortium, USA

Host: Febriana Firdaus (febrianafirdaus.com)
Sound Engineering Support: Steve Adam (www.spectrosonics.com.au)
Court of the Future performers: Free Theatre (www.freetheatre.com.au)
Production: Matthew Abud with support from Anne Dekker
Podcast Team: Johnson Ching-Yin Yeung, Liz Parker, Tanne de Goei

Full Transcript

JUDGE:

Order! Order! I mean it – I will have order in this court!

Now then. To the defendant. Mr. Ralph Hermes Vuitton

You may deliver your statement.

RHV:

Thank you, Your Honour. May I say with great humility, I’m humbled by the privilege to address this court. Very humbled. Humblingly so.

Because as everyone knows, we at Ralph Vuitton are a humble, ethical, caring, socially responsible, innovative brand ...and we pay record dividends!

The simple fact is – we didn’t know! And our promise is – we will do better!

We can’t know everything our suppliers do. It’s unrealistic.

We have thousands of them! We change them all the time! Some employees even work from home. Are we supposed to visit them too?

I mean, what would happen to my exclusive trench coat in those neighbourhoods? It would be ruined.

JUDGE:

Order! Come on now, let’s have a little order here.

Right. Now Mr. Vuitton. Please keep to the point.

RHV:

Yes your Honour. To put it simply.

Did we make the building a fire trap with no escape? No, we didn’t.

Did we ban the workers from organising together or cut their pay? No, it wasn’t us.

Can you blame me that women are constantly harassed in the workplace? That’s outrageous!

Let me finish with this point. Your Honour, could I say how stylish you would look in a bold red Faux Leather Coat. For you, it would be an affordable 175 Euros.

But if we had to pay for all the things they propose? Why, it could go up to 176! We’d be bankrupt!

Thank you, Your Honour.

JUDGE:

And why are you giving me your business card, Mr Vuitton?

RHV:

Just if you are interested in that Faux Leather Coat.

JUDGE:

This is not a sales pitch, Mr. Ralph Hermes Vuitton. We’re in a court of law. Do you understand?

HOST:

Could that be the court-room of the future?

Where brands must prove that they take care of human rights, through their whole supply chain?

I’m Febriana Firdaus.

Welcome to episode three of the Clean Clothes Podcast.

Today we talk human rights due diligence, and making laws to keep brands honest.

Human rights abuse includes stolen wages, sexual harassment, and union busting.

It has also cost many workers their lives.

This is Nasir Mansoor, General Secretary of the National Trade Union Federation or NTUF in Pakistan.

NASIR:

There was a tragedy in September...

Next Episode

Organising workers in the time of COVID

The half hour episode explores how organisations in different countries from across the Clean Clothes Campaign network supported workers in the time of COVID. In this episode, we hear how:

Community mobilisation defended a garment worker in Romania;
Trade unions and worker organisations made gains in Bangladesh and Sri Lanka;
The effects of the pandemic in Turkey has led to a re-think on future campaigns to support worker rights;

Plus thoughts and reflections on the impact of COVID on worker organising.

Please share your feedback, comments and questions, by emailing: [email protected]

Speakers:
Laura Stefanut, campaigner and former investigative journalist, Romania
Anton Marcus, Joint Secretary of FTZ&GSEU (Free Trade Zone and General Services Employees Union), Sri Lanka
Kalpona Akter, Executive Director of BCWS (Bangladesh Center for Workers Solidarity)
Bego Demir, Clean Clothes Campaign, Turkey
Christie Miedema, Clean Clothes Campaign International Office, Netherlands
Mandy Felicia, EILER (Ecumenical Institute for Labor Education and Research), Philippines

Host: Febriana Firdaus (febrianafirdaus.com)
Sound Engineering Support: Steve Adam (www.spectrosonics.com.au)
Producer: Matthew Abud
Clean Clothes Podcast Team: Anne Dekker, Johnson Ching-Yin Yeung, Liz Parker, Tanne de Goei

Full Transcript

HOST

Welcome to the first episode of the first series of the Clean Clothes podcast. I’m Febriana Firdaus.

As this episode is being produced, we’ve all heard terrible news out of Myanmar, with the military overthrow of the elected parliament.

From all of us on the podcast, and certainly everyone in Clean Clothes, we want to express our solidarity and support to everyone from our network in Myanmar.

And to all the people of that country who stand for democracy, and for human rights and the rights of workers.

We’re also sending our solidarity to my co-host, Manny Maung – she’s completely caught up now, in the response to the military coup.

We’ll have more to say from Clean Clothes, at the end of the show.

We know that under COVID, brands have cancelled orders and refused to pay for completed work.

Many suppliers have cut wages and fired workers, who have far too often also been excluded from social safety nets and other support.

In Romania one worker, Angelica Manole, protested against her wage cut.

Laura Stefanut is a former investigative journalist there, who got involved in the campaign. She tells the story.

LAURA

Angelica is a brave worker who spoke about the fact that she was only paid about one hundred and forty Euros for one month’s work. Each day she worked at least eight hours a day and she was paid like about half the minimum legal wage in Romania. So she spoke about this on Facebook. I believe she was the first garment worker that was so outspoken and so open to speaking to journalists and to Facebook friends. That’s how we found out.

The company Tanex where Angelica was working, they’re among the biggest garment factories in Romania. Certainly they’re a famous factory. They were actually in the past they were trying to attract workers by saying that they pay more than other factories because as you probably know, in Romania workers are only paid the minimum wage, they work extra hours many times unpaid, the living wage is way above the legal minimum wage here so we’re talking about people who work but stay poor.

At the factory what they did when the inspection went there, they said that she didn’t work actually. So basically they lied, they said that she didn’t come to work. But then you know it was a public scandal, I mean I helped her write some complaints to the Ministry of Labour, to the worker inspection, I also myself wrote complaints. I also contacted the Labour Ministry in Romania directly by phone and I was promised that things would be resolved and somehow they were, I mean there was another inspection which found the first inspection was wrong, and actually the factory did not register any absence of the worker, she was obviously there. So they fined the factory.

Angelica was fired by Tanex. So even having all the national media’s attention on you, even having strong figures who are taking your side like the Minister itself, she was still fired by the factory. Why, the factory wrote that she was fired because she spoke to the media.

I decided to generate a fundraising for Angelica, so we can cover the costs for her during the trial which lasted at least six months and have her paid the minimum salary, what she had at the factory. And it was amazing, in less than two days all the money were raised and there was huge support for Angelica f...