July 24, 2009

Steelworkers target gender barriers

PETER KENTER

correspondent

The United Steelworkers (USW) represent more than steel and construction trades.

Likewise Women of Steel, an organization designed to help women to remove stumbling blocks to greater equality and workplace participation — but the effect of the program, started in 1989, on the Canadian construction industry has been noticeable.

“We designed a program that encouraged workplace participation, union activism and leadership development, in programs developed by women for women,” says Sue Milling, Department Leader, Education, Equality and Political Action with the USW Canadian Office.

In the construction industry, the program manifested itself in a number of ways.

“In construction, women didn’t know how to speak up,” says Milling.

“They were working in a male-dominated industry and were facing discrimination that made it difficult for them to participate fully. Our program was designed to get women involved and to create a dialogue between women, men and management that would break down barriers.”

When women participate more vigorously in the workplace, on health and safety committees for instance, the entire construction workplace benefits, she says.

“We would talk about health and safety issues and some women would tell us that their safety boots didn’t fit right, or that their goggles weren’t fitting properly,” says Milling. “We helped to source companies that made personal protective equipment in smaller sizes. That helps not only women, but also men who might benefit from smaller sizes. Sometimes it’s as simple as making sure that women have access to a clean and secure washroom on the construction site, a fundamental need.”

The organization has also made strides in combating workplace discrimination. An anti-harassment program facilitated by union instructors has reached more than 50,000 Canadian workers.

“The perception is that women simply didn’t want to work at certain jobs, when the reality was that they didn’t want to work in an atmosphere that was poisoned,” says Milling.

Some harassment was unintentional — the result of different perceptions between women and men. Anti-harassment training and open dialogue often resulted in a workplace that was more respectful, she says.

Milling recalls a workplace where workers had been divided into teams combining men and women. While the company perceived that women preferred to stick together, the reality was strikingly different.

“After everyone began to talk at one of our seminars, we discovered that women were being introduced to work areas they had never been trained in and in which tools and equipment had never been adjusted to accommodate them,” says Milling.

“When we talked to both men and women in the company were able to get past the false perception and find ways to accommodate physical differences.”

Sometimes, recognizing differences in societal responsibilities is also important. “Even though roles are changing, women most often have primary family responsibilities,” says Milling.

“Instead of reporting increased absenteeism among women on a construction site at 4 p.m., we might find that they’ve gone to find a telephone to make sure the kids are safe.

“By recognizing those responsibilities, the workplace can make changes, such as making phones more available, so that responsibilities such as these are more easily dealt with.”

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