Participating commemoration of 100 years of IWD in Bangkok

 International working women day celebration has completed the century and every where in the world women are evaluating the achievement of the period and calculating challenges to make strategy for the day to come.

In this regard, 37 groups relating with women workers in Thailand came together and celebrated it jointly. On the occasion, they conducted three days major event. First day as opening ceremony, they organized a workshop to providing space for representative from different sectors of work to talk on their situation and raise the demands. Immediate session after that they had invited Prime Minister to receive the charter of demands and respond on it.

Following are the major demands they raised.

  • 8 hours working hour for workers from all sectors
  • Social security scheme to cover over the life
  • Retirement age for women at 60 years
  • Informal workers and sex workers to cover by social security scheme
  • Retirement fund for all workers
  • Ratification of ILO convention 103 and maternity protection for all women including child care center
  • Paternity leave for male workers
  • Reproductive health right including free check up and covering medication for brest and uterus cancer
  • No gender discrimination at all sphere of society
  • Law against violence against women
  • Meaningful number of women participation in decision and policy making body
  • Participatory democracy for sustainable development for all.

Responding the demands. PM told-

  • Economic improvement is the first priority of the country through employment generation. Vulnerable groups, most of them are women will be taken care first and wage will be review every year.
  • Social security mater need to reform to provide access for all workers, is big challenges ahead. But the social welfare for the informal sector has been started and the national saving fund will cover all people.
  • Reproductive health bill is under discussion in cabinet. child care has been left for the local community. it may not be enough and need to expand, but need to see the support from private sector as well in the industrial area.
  • It is needed to make sure that male workers will make proper use of paternity leave to take care of their wife and child.
  • Regarding ILO convention, need to make more study and reflection before ratification whether it can be properly implemented.
  • Yes, the society is not gender equal enough and need to work much toward. But this is not only the problem of Thailand, but whole world.

During the session some of the workers showed the posters as agitating in front of PM, with the script as -you are just speaking sweet word and never fulfill it.

One way invite somebody as guest and protesting in front did not seem sober. Another way, some of the people have already promised for not making any disturbance, were being humiliated. Anyway, these kinds of militancy do not give the solution, rather making annoying environment.

Regional sharing

After that session there was a regional sharing session on what have we achieved and changed under the topic on tracing the development of women workers movements in the past 100 years?

For the purpose four people as Maria Rhie from South Korea, Jurgette Honculada from Philippines, Ly from Cambodia and I from Nepal were invited for the celebration by Committee for Asian Women (CAW).

The Philippines labor movement has given importance on reading, writing and arithmetic as basic things to learn for each and every workers, because of should be able themselves to analyse the situation and calculate the investment of labor and achievement as earning themselves.

Similarly, women’s issues as well as movement should mainstream rather just focusing among women workers. Otherwise, it will become only women’s club rather movement. Workers now do not have single color and across the color and colorless class should develop expand solidarity. IWWD started as honor of the textile workers in America, should keep it alive and respect of sweat and blood of working people to uplift the dignity and status of working masses.

Korea started the women workers struggle with three ideas as freedom, equality and peace in 20th century. Now, it has been expanded with basic human right and equality for all.

Cambodia is peculiar the society is more matrimonial and woman led, but public sphere and movement is highly dominated by male. In the trade union, almost 99 percent leaders are male and women’s education level is still very low in compare to male. Trade union movement is much fragmented. Solidarity among women is still big challenges. We need to keep more effort to come over this entire problem to make more social justice and create movement for gender equal society.

Nepal is politically in the crossroad and transitional period should be made shorter as much as possible. Based on that the presentation has been done comparing 100 years period achievement, present challenges and way forward to come over. The presentation is attached here with.

We as as outside guests were there only on the first day. I came back on 7th to participate our own national celebration on March 8th in Kathmandu.

March 5, 2010