Towards Gender Justice: Strengthening Trade Unions as Agents of Transformative Change

Trade unions are known for fostering solidarity, amplifying collective voices, their struggles to improve working and living conditions and advocating for a fair and just world of work. However, many times, trade unions are seen as symbols of “brotherhood” leaving behind a large part of the workforce – women and gender-diverse groups. Today’s labour markets are becoming more fragmented, precarious, informal, with women seeking opportunities for decent work. In this context trade unions need to be inclusive and representative of all workers, and hence more gender-just.

The Urgency of Gender-Just Transformation in a Changing Political and Economic Landscape

This transformation is especially urgent in today’s political and economic context, where trade unions face increasing pressures in a changing world of work and from growing political conservatism in many countries. In this context, gender justice becomes an essential part of the broader fight for workers’ rights.

While women’s membership rates in trade unions have been increasing significantly across the globe, their representation in union leadership remains disproportionally low. Moreover, sustaining women’s membership can become a challenge if they feel that their voices and interests are not adequately represented in their union. It is of strategic importance for trade unions, to strongly include women and their interests. This is not only crucial for building a more robust membership base but also vital for consolidating their societal influence and relevance.

Institutionalising gender justice within trade unions

A gender-just transformation requires effort on two levels, one on union policies and the other on day-to-day trade union activities. Policies are one of the most important levers for institutional change because they describe how unions want to be perceived by union members. Some policies that act as drivers for transformative change include policies on establishing institutional structures, reserved leadership positions, quotas to ensure women’s representation in leadership and union structures, designated financial quotas for gender justice programmes, and policies on anti-sexual harassment and creating gender-just working environments. In addition, integrating gender issues and enhancing gender-just practices in trade union work and activities such as organising, collective bargaining, education and training, networking and coalition building, and gender audits are ways to transform unions.

FES’ efforts to promote and sustain transformative change

In its efforts to promote and sustain transformative change, FES has always prioritised trade unions as its most important partners, recognising their potential to be agents of leading transformative change. Therefore, it is crucial for FES to collaborate with trade unions in enhancing their positions and capacities as gender just-organisations. This journey requires knowledge sharing, strengthening capacities, and supporting them towards a more equitable world of work. The handbook, Transformative Strategies towards Gender Equality in Trade Unions explores strategies, ideas and methods that have been applied in trade unions to address gender equality through active participation (at different levels), advocacy, networking efforts and others. Together these resources provide insights of how engaged unionists raise issues of gender justice within their unions and transform them into agents of change in the world of work and society at large, working toward a gender and socially just future.

The booklet series, “Let’s make trade unions more gender just” distils the handbook contents into a clear, actionable format that can be used by trade union partners in their day-to-day operations and policymaking. The booklet series consists of two parts – Booklet 1:Gender Just Policies and Structures and Booklet 2:Spaces and Strategies for Gender Just Transformation in Core Union Activities.

Each booklet offers practical steps, concrete examples, and recommendations that can be seamlessly integrated into the day-to-day operations and policies of trade unions. Booklet 1 addresses the need for inclusive practices and policies, fostering an environment where every member—regardless of gender—feels valued, heard, and empowered. By providing clear guidelines and actionable strategies, it not only advocates for change but equips trade unionists with the tools needed to drive that change effectively.

Booklet 2, on the other hand, provides practical information on transforming trade unions into more gender-just organisations through the integration of women’s leadership and membership in the core functions of the trade unions. By introducing the sustainability cycle, the booklet offers worksheets to help understand and implement gender analysis, conduct stakeholder consultations, prepare a gender action plan, implement that plan and carry out timely monitoring and evaluation.

Through these booklets, FES supports trade union efforts in knowledge building and creating a more equitable and just trade union environment.

The global, regional and local interconnection

Trade union efforts toward gender justice benefit from a multi-layered approach, with global, regional, and local dynamics interacting to support transformation. At the global level, organizations like the International Labour Organization (ILO), the International Trade Union Confederation (ITUC) and the Global Union Federations (GUFs) play crucial roles in setting standards, influencing policies, and fostering collaboration between trade unions from different regions. Their frameworks on gender equality and workers' rights provide critical reference points for unions to adapt within their local contexts.

Regionally, trade unions can respond more directly to the specific challenges faced by workers in different geographical areas. For instance, in Asia, unions in countries like India and the Philippines have increasingly addressed gender justice issues, pushing for policies that provide better workplace protections for women, especially in informal and gig economies. These regional efforts are crucial in shaping strategies that meet the specific needs of workers in their local context.

At the local level, trade unions must adapt to the specific needs and challenges of their members. In countries like Germany, unions have been successful in building strong support networks for women workers, advocating for better working conditions, and championing policies that allow for more inclusive, gender-just environments. By connecting global frameworks with regional insights and localized actions, trade unions can effectively drive gender justice forward in the workplace and society as a whole.

In a rapidly evolving political landscape, where conservative forces often seek to undermine workers’ rights and gender justice, trade unions must be at the forefront of advocating for social justice. The global, regional, and local interconnections within the trade union movement provide the necessary support for unions to push back against these regressive forces. By integrating gender justice into their core work, unions not only make progress toward a more equitable world of work but also strengthen their role as agents of transformative social and political change.