Empowering women homeworkers for better working conditions
Uswatun has been doing embroidery work from home, in the Pakis subdistrict of Malang, for more than seven years. She works every day of the week for up to ten hours a day. “No holidays,” she says, with a laugh.
“I do not have small children, so I have more free time than the other women,” said Uswatun, responding to her eagerness taking the role of the group leader. Her two children are already in their teens and, unlike many homeworkers, Uswatun does not have elderly or extended family members living with her, for whom she needs to provide financial support and care.
The works of MWPRI to promote decent work for women home workers like Uswatun are part of the support given by the ILO’s Access to Employment and Decent Work for Women (MAMPU) Project. Mampu is the AusAID Programme that promotes the welfare and empowerment of poor women in Indonesia, including women home workers.
Uswatun embraced her new role and became active with MWPRI, recruiting other homeworkers to take part in the group and participating actively in meetings and trainings. While the whole experience has been empowering, the women’s leadership workshop in particular resonated with her.
She explained that she had “issues” with her husband who could be controlling and would prevent her from participating in activities he was uncomfortable with. The workshop, she said, “helped me learn how to talk to him better,” gaining greater independence for herself.
She is also gaining skills that have helped her improve working conditions for her and her other group members, who all do embroidery for the same employer. “I’ve only asked for a raise once,” she said, and it happened shortly after joining the MWPRI homeworker group. Through the meetings and Sarno’s facilitation she learned that she and the other women deserved better pay so she approached their employer and negotiated on the group’s behalf.
Uswatun said her fellow group members are her inspiration. “I feel empathy for them and so I work to get them everything,” she explains. Initially she asked for double the 6,000 rupiah per product rate they were receiving at the time. In the end they were able to increase their rate by 2,000 rupiah but their ambition doesn’t end there. The women have begun a savings and loan cooperative and they hope to use the funds they collect to start a group business using their common textile skills.
The works of MWPRI to promote decent work for women home workers like Uswatun are part of the support given by the ILO’s Access to Employment and Decent Work for Women (MAMPU) Project. Mampu is the AusAID Programme that promotes the welfare and empowerment of poor women in Indonesia, including women home workers.
“The ILO-MAMPU Project has just signed off on a second phase of implementation with the Australian Aid. During this second phase, the Project is expanding its partnerships and geographical scope to upscale activities and support provided to organizations and trade unions organizing and representing homeworkers during 2013,” explained Miranda Fajermen, Chief Technical Adviser of the ILO’s MAMPU Project.
During 2013 the Project jointly developed and published a series of non-discrimination and equality guidelines and good practice guidelines for the employment of homeworkers for employers with the Indonesian Employers’ Association (Apindo). Apindo and international buyers have disseminated these guidelines during consultations with employers in Central and East Java and are looking to develop pilot partnerships with employers in the rattan industry to improve homeworkers’ conditions of work.
The MAMPU Project has also been supporting and providing technical assistance to trade unions and MWPRI or HOMENET Indonesia to better organize, empower and represent the rights and interests of homeworkers. During 2014, this support will extend to other civil society organizations such as Trade Union Rights Centre, YASANTI and Bitra and will be up-scaled with partner trade unions (KSPSI, KSPI, KSBSI and KSPSI).