Union conference hopes to address gap in wages
In a celebration of International Women’s Day, a union that represents Saskatchewan workers is hoping to empower its female members at its 12th annual Women’s Conference by addressing the struggles women face as members of the workforce.
The United Food and Commercial Workers Union (UFCW ) Local 1400 is attuned to the issues women face, says secretary-treasurer Lucia Flack Figueiredo, because the majority of workers they represent are employed part-time in the retail and service industry — a workplace demographic commonly dominated by female employees.
This year’s conference theme, “Press for Progress,” is intended to engage the women — and men — in discussions on how to address and close the gender wage gap. The conference was held Friday and Saturday in Saskatoon.
“Our members are very aware of the disparity between full-time, good-paying, benefit-providing jobs and part-time precarious work,” Flack Figueiredo said. “Now, my women have an advantage, in that the women who will be at this conference are from unionized groups and that’s one way to bridge the gender wage gap.”
She says while women within the UFWC Local 1400 might not be experiencing the same effect of the gender wage gap as non-unionized workers, it is still beneficial to make them aware of how this disparity may be affecting their neighbours and what steps they can take to try to address it — from lobbying the government to engaging in discussions within the home and community.
One of the biggest issues Flack Figueiredo says is causing this gender wage gap is the lack of affordable childcare. She says the wage gap isn’t being caused by women being paid less than men in the same job; it’s caused by many women having to work the more precarious part-time jobs that offer more flexible hours in order to accommodate their childcare needs.
“When you really look at the statistics and how the gender pay gap is calculated ... it’s based on full analyzing the annual earnings across the spectrum of industries,” she explains. “So, if you take a one-case scenario, of course you have this myth that there is no gap; however, if you look at the full picture of the higher percentage of women in precarious work and all of the factors that go into creating it — there is.”
Flack Figueiredo says the end goal of the conference is to have the attendees leave feeling positive and empowered to make changes within their own lives to address the issue and become part of the solution. She says this is even more important when it comes to the men attending. “There has to be buy-in by everybody to address the systemic things that keep us in these situations, so if you don’t have men who are willing to participate as a community to eliminate the things that create poverty, the precarious work and the challenges to childcare — it just doesn’t work.”