The ACTU will host the 8th World Women’s Conference Of The ICFTU in Melbourne from 18-21 2003 February at the Carlton Crest Hotel.
It is expected that 300 international delegates will attend along with 150 Australian Women from the ACTU Women’s conference who will also participate in the main plenary sessions.
Who Will Attend
The conference will be attended by women union leaders from 225 affiliated organisations in 148 countries. These women will have responsibility for developing and implementing policy at a local level as well as representing their countries in world forums.
About the ICFTU
The International Confederation of Free Trade Unions (ICFTU), was set up in 1949 and has 225 affiliated organisations in 148 countries and territories on all five continents, with a membership of 157 million.
It has three major regional organisations, APRO for Asia and the Pacific, AFRO for Africa, and ORIT for the Americas. It also maintains close links with the European Trade Union Confederation (ETUC) (which includes all ICFTU European affiliates) and Global Union Federations, which link together national unions from a particular trade or industry at international level.
Membership of the ICFTU
The ICFTU is a Confederation of national trade union centres, each of which links together the trade unions of that particular country. Membership is open to bone fide trade union organisations, that are independent of outside influence, and have a democratic structure
ICFTU Activities
The ICFTU organises and directs campaigns on issues such as:
Equality
women aged 15-64 have jobs or are job seekers.
women; gender issues in collective bargaining; equal pay for work of equal
value; access for women to promotion; gender awareness for men and women union
members and employers; combating violence against women at work; life-long
education for women, in particular vocational training.
both the formal and informal sectors is a high priority for the ICFTU and its
affiliates.
parity in activities and decision-making at all levels is one of the
constitutional aims of the ICFTU.
Conference Programme
Theme
Unions For Women; Women For Unions
Sub–themes:
Objectives
18th World Congress in 2004;
working women today; and b) enhance women’s key role in building and
strengthening trade unions;
unionists’ and
outside the trade union.
Monday, 17 February
09.30-18hrs: Registration
15.30-18hrs: Briefing for Chairs, Rapporteurs, Facilitators, Panelists and Resource Persons
19hrs: Welcome reception
Tuesday, 18 February
09.30: Opening ceremonies: Speakers: Sharan Burrow, ACTU President; Guy Ryder, ICFTU General Secretary; Helen Creed, Chair of ICFTU Women’s Committee
11.00: Break
11.30: Conference objectives, programme, method, schedule
Introduction of Conference officials and staff
11.50: The ACTU and women: presentation
12.20: Announcements
12.30 Lunch
Sub-theme 1: Unions for Women: Getting Unions to Work for Women
14.00: Are unions ensuring equality of treatment and opportunities for women in the global market? (a critical look at unions’ role in promoting workers’ and women’s rights in the global economy)
movement’s responses in their region/sector (8 ms. each)
15.30: Break
16.00: Panel: Unions reaching out to working women (case studies focused on organising young women, migrant/ethnic minority, a-typical workers; also assess mid-term progress of 3-year Global Unions’ organising campaign)
17.30: Session ends
19.00: ACTU Reception
Wednesday, 19 February
09.00: Ice-breaker
09.15: Summary of previous day’s proceedings by Daily Rapporteur
09.30: Working groups (groups decide coffee break)
12.30 Lunch
14.00: Summary of working groups’ conclusions and recommendations
15.15: Break
Theme 2: Women for Unions: The Force of the Future
15.45: Looking back: from positive action to mainstreaming, from women’s issues to gender issues
Committee
17.30 Session ends
Free evening for sectoral/regional gatherings and Networking
Thursday, 20 February
09.00: Ice-breaker
09.15: Summary of previous day’s proceedings by Daily Rapporteur
09.30: Panel: A women’s place is in her union: effective strategies for building stronger, more democratic trade unions through equality and solidarity (Focus on case studies initiated and implemented by women’s and equality committees/ departments: organizing and maintaining members, training and education, collective bargaining, transforming union culture and structures, specific campaigns – e.g. maternity protection, equal pay, health and safety at work)
11.00: Break
11.30: Looking outwards: the role of union women in strengthening civil society for bread, freedom, peace and equality
13.00: Lunch
14.30: ICFTU-APRO Presentation: Women Workers in Asia and the Pacific
15.00: Working groups (groups to decide coffee break)
17.30: Session ends
19.30 Cultural evening
Friday, 21 February
09.00: Ice-breaker
9.15: Summary of previous day’s proceedings
09.30: Summary of workshop conclusions and recommendations
10.45: Break until afternoon session starting at 15hrs. (meetings, visits to union offices, etc.)
Drafting Committee prepares draft Conference Conclusions and Recommendations (translation/printing)
15.00: Presentation of Draft Conclusions and Recommendations
Adoption
16.30: Closing ceremonies with ACTU Choir
Press Conference
Note
rotate).
exercise, etc.).
floor; sisters – one per delegation, per session – will line up to
speak. Chair will recognise speakers.