Asia-Europe People's Forum

Prioritizing the Concerns of Women Workers

Primar Jardeleza (PATAMABA-HomeNet Philippines) and Hesti Wijaya (National Coordinator of HomeNet Indonesia) presented their respective country papers during the Workshop on Women Workers in the Informal Economy held in Hanoi, Vietnam on 6-9 September 2004.

Ms. Jardeleza's topic entitled "Security of Women Workers in the Informal Economy: The Philippine Experience" covered the roots of informality; strategic and gender issues confronting IS workers and advocacy for legal policies highlighting support for the Magna Carta and the passage of an international instrument for their protection and implementation of the country program for the informal sector.

On the situation of women homeworkers in Indonesia, Ms. Wijaya focused on the state of organizing informal workers; where she stressed that in terms of social security and protection and freedom of organization, the women workers in her country still need to catch up with the Philippines. Organizing has not been legally accepted by the Indonesian government; hence, homeworkers' advancement in advocacy work is progressing as expected.

An open forum followed each country presentation. What surfaced was the urgency of informal workers' need to defend their rights as workers and as women. Solidarity among informal workers through coalition and alliances with trade unions at the national and international levels was given emphasis. The ASEM/AEPF was viewed as an important venue where the plight of workers both in the formal and informal work can be discussed and be given priorities for a concrete solution to their problems.

Asian Dialogue on Social Protection for Informal Workers

Asia-Europe People’s Forum: Prioritizing the Concerns of Women Workers

Position Paper: Towards Economic and Social Security
for Women Workers in the Informal Sector