Women Leadership Training: Strengthening Leadership Skill for Women Officials in Trade Unions

Several obstacles for women to have opportunity in leadership or decision maker role such as still exist the ‘stereotype’ for women garment workers as ‘docile’: thinking they not to dare to talk back, share their consent or protest. Further, often the women were very shy, hiding their faces while listening to the representatives and not to dare to ask questions. While, all men representatives (from unions) usually talk actively. Women in unions who attended the meetings often have roles such as writer meeting of minutes, treasures, even to prepare consumption rather than involved in the decision making. Within the union structure still treat women as a subordinate category to their needs and priorities as women. The widespread disregard of women worker issues such as maternity protection, violence, harassment, and other issues, it reflects the ideologies and interests of existing leadership. Indeed, this situation impacted the women workers' needs, voices and representatives within union organization.

Therefore, the this training programme aims to promote inclusive representation and leadership in the trade union organization, by empowering and strengthening the leadership skills of women committee members of the factory level trade union organization.

The specific objectives of the designed series of activities are:

• Participants have increased awareness and knowledge on their own leadership model as their strength.
• Participants have a better understanding on gender inequality and discrimination issues in in the garment industry, union organization, family and society.
• Participants have leadership skills and more engage in the decision maker role and leadership position to support women needs, voices and access.