Women

PLAN OF ACTION

“ACT NOW! BUILD OUR FUTURE!”
2002 NATIONAL WOMEN’S CONFERENCE

PREAMBLE

Globalization is a very complex, widespread, and menacing trend. It may be hard to define in a sentence or two, but its impact on our families, our workplaces, our communities, our country, and the world we live in are ever so easy to grasp. It’s clear that we need to act now in order to build our vision for a better future.

What is globalization? Basically, globalization as we know it means that multinational corporations get to operate across borders under common rules. It means that governments lose their power to set rules and standards, and democracy is threatened. It means the easing of trade rules, the privatization of public services, the slackening of rules and laws in areas like health and the environment. It means the reduction of social programs and the role of government in providing them. It means the rich get richer, and many more people become poor.

Globalization has a gender dimension too. Women in Canada and around the world are the principal users of public services, so we suffer most when these services disappear. Women already do two thirds of the unpaid caregiving work in Canada, and cuts in public health care, education, and other social services only increases this unpaid workload. Women are a majority of public sector workers, so cuts to public services means the loss of better paying, unionized jobs for women. Aboriginal women, racialized women, women with disabilities, poor women, and many other marginalized women bear an even greater brunt when globalization takes hold.

It’s clear that we won’t stand by and let this happen.

This plan of action is about our commitment to changing the face of globalization. It’s about our vision, our strategies, and some of the actions we need to take in order to make this world a better place to live.

Objective:

For the union to develop an overall anti-globalization analysis and strategy.

Strategy:

To educate and mobilize our membership on the implications of economic globalization.

Actions

• Research on how globalization really effects our members
• Produce popular educational material (pamphlets, courses, toolkits, fact sheets, etc.) on globalization and its impact;
• Work with other unions and progressive organizations to share and develop materials;
• Conduct training, sensitivity workshops, etc. in order to better empower the membership;
• Disseminate material to all levels of the union through various media including the website;
• Expose the role of corporations and engage in informed and responsible boycott campaigns

Strategy:

Actively participate in anti-globalization campaigns – locally/regionally/nationally/internationally

Actions:

• Lobby government to take firm positions for the inclusion of clauses in agreements which protect human rights, environmental and labour standards;
• Lobby and actively participate in anti-poverty campaigns;Increase our financial support and active participation in coalitions such as the Common Front on the WTO;
• Actively support the No Sweat Campaign;Actively support campaigns against child labour;Use and promote fair trade products;
• Support and actively participate in campaigns against the selling off (privatization) of water on a global scale;
• Awareness campaign on the use of consumer power to fight economic exploitation;
• Create and maintain an international solidarity fund

Strategy:

Link the public campaign for universal childcare with globalization

Action:

• Actively support, lobby and campaign for a universal, accessible, regulated, publicly-delivered, quality child care program in coalition with childcare advocacy groups, unions and other progressive organizations.

PRIVATIZATION

Objective:

Stop privatization and promote public support for quality public services.

Strategy:

To inform, educate and mobilize PSAC and community members on the impact of privatization.

Actions:

• Highlight the work of our members in the public sector;
• Conduct further research and analysis on the impact of privatization on our members;
• Develop educational material on the cause and effect of privatization;
• Commit financial and active support to coalitions and campaigns on the privatization of public services such as healthcare

COLLECTIVE BARGAINING

Objective:

To develop a bargaining vision that truly reflects our diverse membership

Strategy:

Improve family-related and human rights provisions;

Actions:

• Seek input from those most affected by equity provisions;
• Solicit local and regional input;
• Undertake equity analyses of our collective agreements;
• Negotiate workplace childcare centres and childcare funds;
• Expand the Elder care provisions and maternity top-up;
• Negotiate provisions that enhance and maintain human rights;
• Negotiate an international solidarity fund

ORGANIZING

Objective:

To expand the number of unionized jobs in the private and the public sectors.

• Strive to organize sectors and workplaces where there are young women, immigrant and racialized women, and other marginalized women;
• Adapt organizing tools and strategies to respond to the circumstances and needs of these workers;
• Re-certify members in privatized workplaces.

CONCLUSION

As women and as trade unionists, we have a responsibility to defend workers rights, economic, social, political and human rights. Because globalization knows no boundaries, neither can our union solidarity. As a union, we have a responsibility to build links with the broader labour movement, with our coalition partners, and with our Sisters and Brothers around the world. Together, through our collective action, we can make a difference.