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Empowering Women: HK's Feminist and Labour Movements

Explore the transformative journey of the Hong Kong Women Workers Association (HKWWA) and their fight for gender equality and labor rights. Discover critical insights from female leaders and the successful collaboration between feminist movements and trade unions. Learn about the recent campaign against workplace sexual violence and the significant impact of the alliance in reforming legislation. Join the movement for empowering women in the workforce and creating a more inclusive society.

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Empowering Women: HK's Feminist and Labour Movements

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  1. Feminist and labour movements in HK: critical and co-constructive Women’’s Empower, Gender Equality and Labour Rights: Transforming the Terrain Sally Choi Hong Kong Confederation of Trade Unions 2013-7-30, San Paulo

  2. About myself

  3. outline • The story of a founder, Ms. Yim of working women association • Insights: Critical voices from women’s leaders and the movement • The recent campaign against sexual violence at workplace • Insights: cooperation between feminist movement and the trade union. • Transforming the terrains: internal and external support; individual and collective leadership

  4. YIM YUET LIN 1989 found Hong Kong Women Workers Association (HKWWA)—1st organisation for the rights of women worker

  5. A book project for the 15th anniversary of HKWWA “Factory, Kitchen and Refuse Room: 15 years of Women Workers Movement in HK”

  6. Unions development Before 1970s • Before the 1970s, • unions in HK • pro-Chinese Community Party (CCP) unions (the leftist), • pro-Kuomintang unions (the ruling party of Taiwan at the time, also known as the rightist unions) • some unions with a neutral background (such as the civil servants’ unions). Yim was an electronic factory worker

  7. Rise of social movement in 1980s • 1974 a church based organisation HK Christian Industrial Committee (HKCIC) started intervening labour disputes • 1984, HKCIC-Trade union education center • 1984, Association for the Advancement of Feminism (AAF) set up • Yim joined HKCIC and AAF study groups

  8. Conflicts on maternity leave Cannot unit all the workers • Yim left HKCIC Not the top priority for advocacy among alliance of labour activists

  9. 1982 • Amendment on Employment Ordinance in HK • 2/3 paid for 10 weeks maternity leave

  10. Mid 1980s

  11. HKWWA 1989-- Concerning the rights of causal workers which are majority women workers Mother’s Day action: Caring support and subsidies for workers

  12. Yim-Women worker leader • - strong fighter • - transforming the labour rights advocacy • - transforming the union movement

  13. Women specific union/organisation • The reproductive role and contribution of women workers were not well recognised even among unionists in early days. • The base and voices of women workers’ association are small but critical. • gender specific labour issues and create social discourse

  14. Self-organizing->Cooperation -> Alliance building

  15. Women self-organised

  16. Campaign againViolence against Women at workplace

  17. Loophole in the Law • Sex Discrimination Ordinance in 1995 (SDO) prohibit sexual harassment • No clause in SDO to prohibit customer conduct sexual harassment against service, goods and facilities providers • Employees at service, retail industry are not protected by SDO !

  18. A SURVEY ON SEXUAL VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN AT WORKPLACE IN 2013 80 % female workers in catering industry encountered sexual harassment at workplace

  19. Sexual violence issuse for DWs

  20. Outcomes • - reform in legislation in 2014 • - public attention • - women’s issues to social issues

  21. Alliance Building

  22. Women’s solidarity and capacity building • provides more opportunities for leadership growth and support for female unionists who committed to integrate gender equality at labour movement. • External supports to women unionist in federation

  23. Factors affecting women’s situation and ongoing battle • Lack of working hours regulation • Collective bargaining

  24. Alliance Building for the rights of part-time workers Employment Ordinance only cover those with “continuous employment” i.e. being employed for 4 or more consecutive weeks and each week working for 18 or more hours (4-1-18). There is an ongoing campaign to amend the law so to cover part-time and causal workers.

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