'Women worst affected by globalisation'


By The Hindu

VISAKHAPATNAM, NOV. 25. Women are among the worst affected in the ongoing process of liberalisation and globalisation, according to the National Federation of Indian Women (NFIW).

Ms. Amarjeet Kaur, general secretary of NFIW, told a press conference here on Sunday that with the NDA Government selling away national assets like the public sector undertakings to the multi-national companies on the pretext of liberalisation, women employees were in the danger of losing equal pay, maternity benefits and other social security benefits.

She pointed out that women employees were already being forced to accept the voluntary retirement scheme (VRS) under the threat of transfers and being separated from their families.

``It is a strange dichotomy. On one hand, the NDA Government promises one crore jobs to the youth, and on the other, its Finance Minister announces a two per cent cut in jobs. The country has been given to a jobless growth,'' she remarked.

Ms. Kaur, who is here to attend the ongoing national conference of the All India Democratic Women's Association (AIDWA), said women faced the worst working conditions in the Export Promotion Zones and garment export units which blatantly flouted labour laws by not allowing unionisation, not extending social security measures and not guaranteeing minimum wages. NFIW was for opening up EPZs for inspection and providing for unionisation of the workers.

She claimed that the labour reforms were being pursed by the Central Government in the interest of the employers and aggressive foreign investors and under pressure from World Bank, International Monetary Fund (IMF) and World Trade Organisation (WTO).

According to her, even the Prevention of Terrorism Ordinance (POTO) was influenced by these international agencies to suppress the democratic movements and resentment emerging against globalisation and the WTO and was being sought to be passed under the cover of the threat of international terrorism as defined by the U.S. in the light of the September 11 attacks.

``There are strong public protests against the WTO all over the world. The reason why its last round of meeting was held at Doha was that demonstrations are now allowed there,'' Ms. Kaur said.

Ms. Kaur, who is also the secretary of the All India Trade Union Congress (AITUC), said that various central trade unions had forged unity in opposing the Bill of Labour Reforms and decided to observe a nation-wide strike if it was presented in Parliament for adoption. NFIW had expressed its support to the agitation as the reforms would severely affect the interest of women, particularly those employed in the unorganised sector.

The NFIW would be holding its national conference in Chennai in April and the agenda for the event included empowerment of women, commercialisation and communisation of education, economic policies, oppression of tribal and dalit women and social evils and food security.