Global Policy Forum

By Patsy Kam

For some, the economic downturn may just mean spending less on luxury goods, but for others their very livelihood is at stake.

Events have shown that women are more vulnerable in times of recession as they are often the first to lose their jobs. Most employers consider them easier to retrench or dismiss as they are more submissive to authority and less likely to cause trouble.

In a recent press conference organised by the Women Development Centre in Kajang, Selangor, a delegation of women workers from Indonesia, Thailand, the Philippines and Malaysia came forward to tell their stories. (The centre was set up in 1986 to train factory workers.) In Thailand, for example, since the economic crisis began in July 1997, a number of factories have suffered huge losses due to the depreciation of the baht. As a result, many closed down, rendering some 300,000 people jobless.

Karuna Thurian, 30, of Thailand, worked at a garment factory for seven years until she was dismissed recently. The reason given was that the factory was downsizing due to hard times. Not one to take things sitting down, Karuna sued the factory for wrongful dismissal. Pending the outcome of the hearing, she has been receiving a salary from her ex-employer for the past year, without having to work. When she first started, she earned 85 baht (RM8.60) a day. Yet today, after seven years, her daily wage is only 162 baht (RM16.30).

According to Karuna, who was a committee member of the factory's in-house union, the women workers were the first to be laid off. "Those retrenched saw their quality of life deteriorating. Children had to stop schooling as their parents no longer had the money to pay for fees. Many have returned to their villages to seek other jobs such as hawking or farming, while their parents look after their children. There have also been cases where men have abandoned their wives because they don't want the burden of an additional mouth to feed," she said.

Karuna is involved in a campaign to help women workers be more aware of their rights and lobby for legal provisions for unemployment benefits and a minimum wage. "Our alternative to these problems is to set up a workers' savings fund. In addition, we hope to be able to start income-generating projects and set up funds for children of unemployed workers," she added.

Besides campaigning against child labour, women's rights, such as full-pay maternity leave, are top on Karuna's agenda. Three years ago, she helped her factory union successfully lobby for March 8, International Women's Day, to be a holiday. (Par Garments became the first factory in Thailand to recognise the day as a staff holiday.)

On a national scale, Thai women workers want the government to set up a health and safety institute to protect them against occupational hazards, including diseases. They are also working with their South-East Asian counterparts on the advancement and protection of human rights.

In Indonesia, the problems are of an even greater magnitude. Just last month, 25,000 factory workers demonstrated outside a factory in Surabaya, demanding for an increase of 1,000 rupiah (40 sen) in daily wages. The military used tear gas and water cannons to disperse the crowd. Sulliyem Ngami, of the Humanika Working Group in Surabaya, said it was appalling to see the factory workers treated that way.

Humanika was formed in 1988 in response to the need for better educated and organised factory workers in Indonesia. Its role is to provide support for trade unions, and establish communication with other non-governmental organisations and workers' groups outside Indonesia. Said Sulliyem: "Government policies seem to only benefit itself and the management. Factory workers on the other hand, especially women, have no job security, no safety regulations or protection at work, and no increase in wages. "Before the crisis, minimum wage was regulated at US$55.20 (RM209.76) per month at the exchange rate of 2,400 rupiah to US$1. Now, it is only US$17 (RM64.60) at 8,900 rupiah to US$1 per month. "Although that amount is supposed to be the minimum sum paid to workers, many employers have taken the opportunity to set wages at that low level with no option for increment," said Sulliyem, 28, who has worked for four factories since the age of 14.

She added that inflation has caused the price of essential goods to escalate, and that this has had a serious impact on nutrition for the Indonesian population. "For example, a tin of milk (1kg) used to cost 25,000 rupiah (RM10). Now the same tin costs 80,000 rupiah (RM32) and mothers have resorted to feeding their children with diluted milk, and mixing milk with rice flour for added sustenance. "It is situations like these which have made our lives intolerable. People can't even afford the bare minimum to survive every day. The daily wages that we get now are not even enough to buy a box of sanitary pads!"

In view of these circumstances, Indonesian women workers are clamouring for change.

Delegates from the aforementioned countries are networking to resist globalisation which they feel has infringed upon their rights. They claim that globalisation has brought about problems such as inflation, an increase in migrant women workers, retrenchment and unemployment in South-East Asia. In doing so, they hope their respective governments will look into the plight of women workers and take positive measures to repair the labour situation.

FAIR USE NOTICE: This page contains copyrighted material the use of which has not been specifically authorized by the copyright owner. Global Policy Forum distributes this material without profit to those who have expressed a prior interest in receiving the included information for research and educational purposes. We believe this constitutes a fair use of any such copyrighted material as provided for in 17 U.S.C íŸ 107. If you wish to use copyrighted material from this site for purposes of your own that go beyond fair use, you must obtain permission from the copyright owner.