UTIPEC implements a Gender Equality Policy through SCORE Training

“Organizational transparency comes hand-in-hand with gender equality. UTIPEC, through SCORE Training, has demonstrated that unions can innovate while putting on the gender glasses”
- Mónica Cortes Yepes, CEO EQUILATERA

In 2020, the Union of the Petroleum and Energy Industry Workers of Colombia (UTIPEC) became the first industrial union in the country to implement SCORE Training Modules on Workplace Cooperation and Human Resource Management with a gender equality perspective. The SCORE Implementing Partner EQUILATERA led the six-month training and technical assistance program. SCORE Training strengthened the worker organization by standardizing internal procedures with a cooperative and inclusive perspective.



UTIPEC was born in 2011 as an initiative of the workers from the Pacific Rubiales company, based at the Meta camp. The workers main goal was to address the growing inconformity through social dialogue, focusing on solutions and not only on the problems. Under the slogan “the spirit of the new unionism”, UTIPEC currently has more than 1.000 active members (27% women) and 2.000 non-contributors from 250 companies of the sector, including 90% of all Frontera Energy workers. UTIPEC is also a member of the General Confederation of Labor (CGT), an ILO constituent that previously implemented SCORE Training to support OSH compliance.

In the workplace cooperation SCORE Training Module, eight UTIPEC members (25% women) participated from diverse areas such as union promotion, human resources, projects, training, and public relations. This module also addressed the need and desire to improve efficiency in two strategic areas. First, to improve conflict management and resolution, as reported in the indicator for internal requests, complaints and claims. Second, to strengthen education and development of workers and their families.



After concluding the first Module, UTIPEC reduced waiting times from 24 to 8 hours in the affiliation and loyalty processes; and increased by 3% the response effectiveness on internal requests, complaints and claims. Furthermore, the data of this indicator was disaggregated by sex in order to determine specific needs and thus better define contextualized resolution strategies.

Additionally, the SCORE Training improvement projects supported the cultural transformation of UTIPEC by:

• Strengthening workplace cooperation by introducing new channels of communication for members and workers.
• Simplifying the decision-making process within the union.
• Fostering a culture of continuous improvement centered on people (members and workers).

SCORE Training was a key factor to empower the different UTIPEC teams, it allowed them to recognize their own capabilities to identify and creatively respond to obstacles.

The next step in the process of strengthening UTIPEC focused on human resource management. To achieve this, the HR SCORE Training Module was implemented with gender glasses. This means understanding that efficient talent management requires respect for diversity and equal opportunities, treatment and participation between women and men. Gender equality materials, including the references to the International Labor Standards, were taken from ILO's SCORE Gender Equality Model (MIG SCORE).



Six people (50% women) made up UTIPEC’s Improvement Team for Module and defined three strategic projects. First, they reviewed and updated the induction contents and materials for new members and workers, including the Gender Equality Policy. Second, they adjusted the job profiles with inclusive language to generate greater equality between male and female candidates and workers. Third, the Gender Equality Policy was drafted in a participatory manner, and then socialized and implemented at the national level.

“Thanks to SCORE Training we created a Gender Equality Policy in UTIPEC, we visited all the union local offices in order to build a proactive dialogue with all our members. In the end, we established an inclusive policy that took into account the main needs of our members”.
- Alejandro Ospina, UTIPEC President

By implementing SCORE Training, UTIPEC has been able to boost organizational change throughout its structure. This has led to the recognition of the first union in the hydrocarbon industry to draft and implement a gender equality policy. The ILO methodology also provided the organization with a renewed vision and strategy, encouraging good communication practices, teamwork and openness to change.

For more information on the SCORE Program in Colombia, please explore:

• SCORE Colombia website
• SCORE Colombia Facebook page