South African trade unions need to ensure that gender policies become practice. They have been called upon to radically change the conservative way they approach gender issues in order to redress existing unequal gender relations within their organisations.

This call was made by both male and female members of trade unions interviewed by NALEDI for its upcoming book on women in leadership and gender strategies in COSATU.

This issue is set to be discussed and addressed in September at the COSATU Congress as part of the organisational renewal process.

One official speaking about the existing gender relations in trade unions declared, "I don’t think there is much change generally. The only way we are going to get change is through a revolution. I don’t see any other way. We are not going to change by having new policies."

Gender has been a thorny issue at many congresses in the past, at times characterised by stormy debates, at other times it has been dealt with glibly or not

mentioned at all. The key charge against COSATU and its affiliates has been that although there have been many progressive resolutions adopted, very little has been done to implement these and to concretely achieve any meaningful change in transforming unequal gender relations. In the early years of COSATU there were significant shifts and breakthroughs in policy and bargaining achievements. For example, COSATU adopted a Code of Conduct on sexual harassment, and some affiliates achieved major victories on maternity rights. But in recent years there has been virtual stagnation on the gender question, both in bargaining and in unions as organisations.

Many of the same problems have continued to plague trade unions, namely:

* under-representation of women in leadership structures,

* low levels of participation of women at all levels of organisation

* women’s disproportionate responsibility for reproductive labour, which affects their

participation in unions

* gender-blindness in collective bargaining demands,

* a lack of progress in achieving basic rights such as childcare and paternal rights.

Why is there so little progress?

The fundamental challenge that we face is that gender inequality is about power. Gender activists have referred to the gender struggle as "a struggle within the struggle" precisely because there is significant resistance to the advancement of women within unions. This is because unequal gender relations give men in our society (and in our unions) privilege and power.

Resistance to change: This point was emphasised in the interviews we conducted. For instance, a COSATU official reflected that there is resistance to gender issues because: "the majority of leaders are male and they are current and past beneficiaries of the patriarchal practice in organisations, in as much as they are beneficiaries of the patriarchal system in society. More women in positions of general secretary will threaten men’s positions."

While it is not easy to be openly resistant to gender issues nowadays, there are still many ways of subverting progress. For instance a gender co-ordinator argued that: "They know the language, they know what is expected of them. But they don’t do justice to gender issues in the implementation."

Marginalisation of gender issues and structures: The gender issue is not taken seriously by many of the leaders in the Federation (with some important exceptions). As a result it is left up to gender co-ordinators and weak and poorly resourced, often defunct gender structures to implement policy. As one COSATU official reflected: "The dominant view is that the gender programme will do it all. And I think that’s one of the weaknesses in my view not only in COSATU but also in many democratic organisations. They continue to marginalise gender questions."

This respondent went on to argue that the lack of integration also reflects weaknesses in the strategies of gender structures: "More often comrades from the gender structures don’t want to make comments on any other issues. They will only discuss gender. And that’s not integration."

Resolutions alone will not achieve change

The fact that gender is about power, means it is not enough to pass resolutions and expect this to lead to change. The argument that was developed was that the only way to change the situation is through action. This means actively challenging the unequal power relations between women and men.

The debates on gender in COSATU have more recently been focused on structures, policies and resolutions. While these are important, they are not sufficient, and they will not achieve actual change without campaigns, programmes and concrete action.

There is also a tendency to bureaucratise gender structures, bogging them down with administrative processes and meetings. For example, one respondent argued that: "There is too much emphasis on meetings and not enough on advocacy." Gender structures – and unions as a whole – need to put their energy and resources into focused campaigns, visible activities and mobilisation of women workers around concrete demands. They also need to put much more attention on developing strategies for engaging with the power dynamic and the resistance to gender issues in unions.

For real change to occur, women and men in COSATU need to stand up and take action.

To quote Zwelinzima Vavi’s closing words at the recent COSATU Gender Conference: "Without struggle nothing will be gained!"

[Liesl Orr is a Researcher in NALEDI’s Women and Work